Rehabilitation
by Moonkitty Liafle
Summary: Sequel to 'Masquerade' but can stand alone. Corruption fractures the ESUN, and Heero and Relena are thrown into the whirlwind..COMPLETE! CH. 16>> PG-13; but rated R for the last chapter because of violence. ((Sequel out called 'Wandering'))
1. Shooting Memories

PROLOGUE- Shooting Memories

PROLOGUE- Shooting Memories

A/N: Agh! A sequel! Read Masquerade' first! Warning: REALLY, REALLY mature themes.

DISCLAIMER: Attempts to raise funds to buy the rights to Gundam Wing' have failed, so I can clearly state that I do NOT own them. I DO own a really nice Pentel pen and a decent alarm clock. How about a swap?

BTW.my computer was meansorry for the bad upload beforeL 

The gun was at Doctor J's head. This wasn't the first time he had been threatened in such a manner. One got used to it, he supposed.

"Why?" There were tears on the former subject's face, something that had been programmed out of him a long time ago. "Why did you do it? You _knew_ what you were doing!"

Doctor J steeped his fingers, "We all do regrettable things in a time of war, Mr. Yuy. As you recall, my boy, the original idea of Operation Meteor was to make a massacre so horrendous, no one would ever forget it."

The gun was pressed harder against his temple. The old man sighed. His subject was choked up with emotion, "But I was just a child!"

"Does being innocent deprive you of the obligation to save your world?"

"Does war give you the obligation to destroy the life of a child?"

Doctor J shook his head. Subject Heero Yuy was never supposed to second guess his orders. Subject Heero Yuy was never supposed to misinterpret the intentions of his commander.

But Heero Yuy had never been normal.

**__**

"Odin Lowe is dead."

"What?" The boy that peered up through his bangs at the doctor had eyes that showed he had killed before.

"Odin Lowe was killed in a raid of his house of L1."

"Oh." There was something mysterious and disconcerting about the child, and he sulked in a way that set Doctor J's teeth on edge.

"I can give you a job though. I can help you save your colony. Would you like that?"

Once again, Heero Yuy was given up for another caretaker, another person who wanted to use him. He would later discover that Relena Darlian-Peacecraft's life had been very similar.

"Okay."

The corpse of a puppy amidst a pile of rubble.

A child buried in her unnatural grave of debris and glass.

A daisy, withered from lack of water.

A giddy sensation. A release previously unknown to him.

"Do as we say, boy, " the doctor had said, holding up the powder-filled packet, "And you will receive more."

Do as they say.

Do as they say or remain deprived.

Did he really have a choice?

He was addicted.

He was alone.

He was the perfect tool.

The gun clattered to the floor. Doctor J smiled, "I loved you like a son, Heero, but war called for sacrifice."

Heero Yuy bent down for the gun and shot it near the man's foot.

"It wasn't your sacrifice to bestow. The price I had to pay was too high!" he was furious, irrational, and filled with pain, "All I think about is wanting it. I hurt everywhere. All I want is to taste it again." He cocked the gun, "And you did this to me."

"I did what was necessary." He took a deep breath, "What will you do now, Heero?"

"I'll find a way to stop my body from telling me what to do. I'll fight the urge. But I won't forget what happened, or," he rose the gun again threateningly, "who did it to me."

"You came to kill me tonight, didn't you?"

"I did."

"So why didn't you?"

"Because it wasn't worth it. Because **_she_** wouldn't have wanted it."

Heero Yuy left with a flutter of the curtain, and Doctor J remained, fingers steeped.

There had been no other choice.

Had there?


	2. Remaining Battle

CHAPTER I- The Remaining Battle

CHAPTER I- The Remaining Battle

She was standing in front of a college campus, looking slightly surprised by the sharp looking journalist that stood beside her. Her long hair was lose and her arms were full of books. On her shoulder was an ugly scar, partially exposed by her white shirt. She looked composed and relaxed. The reporter looked hungry.

"College life is suiting you then, Ms. Darlian?" The reporter asked cheerfully, a fake white smile plastered across her face.

Relena smiled gently, "Yes, I suppose. Compared to my previous work, school is far simpler!"

"Well, you have obviously been doing a great deal with your free time. On spring break, you toured the colonies and major Earth nations, doing a lecture series that thousands fought for tickets to. Now, as summer break nears, you have plans to visit beginning colonies again."

"Yes, Ms. Freidman, I still believe I can benefit the ESUN without having to be a political leader."

The reporter pounced on the opportunity to discuss the scandalous resignation, "Ms. Relena, many people are still confused as to why you did resign."

She sighed, "People began to associate me to peace. Why is it, Ms. Freidman, that we need battles to remind us how precious peace is? The simple answer is because we refuse to think for ourselves." She looked down, "I didn't want to be responsible for that."

"But-"

She looked up, "Get your head out of thinking how much this interview is going to add to your paycheck and consider what I'm saying!" she shook her head, "I'm still too worked up about it, Ms. Freidman, I don't suggest we continue talking about this subject."

Ms. Freidman seemed unfazed by Relena's verbal upbraiding, "Just one more question, Ms. Darlian- what is your last message to the world?"

She looked to the camera, clear blue eyes focused and full of sorrow, "Don't forget. Tell your children about the wars we have endured. Write books. Paint. Do whatever you can to never let yourself to forget. Once we forget the atrocities of war, we won't mind to repeat it. Please," she pleaded with the audience, "never forget the soldiers- whose personal battles still continue to this day."

The T.V. clicked off obediently, and Ariel Yuy folded her newspaper angrily, "Gone for two months, and you are still in the public's eyes. You've gotten everything you wanted, why can't you just disappear?" she slammed her palms decisively on the tabletop and stood up.

Grinning like a cat, Ariel Yuy turned to face the kitchen mirror egotistically, smoothing the cloud of red hair that framed reptilian yellow eyes, "Hello, mirror. You have the honor of reflecting the face of the next president of Earth Sphere United Nation!"

She held out a hand in greeting, and then turned to her phone. She had decided to take up the offer of the United World Political Party to run for nomination. Eagerly, she called her campaign manager.

It was nighttime, and the tap on Relena's window was not that of a branch. Her security detail was downstairs, with the nightshift posted at the entrance of her house.

She did not, however, have any fears of being kidnapped, for she knew that she had her own guardian angel' watching over her.

"Heero?" She could barely make him out on the ledge of the window, darker than the night.

Before she could consent to his entering, he had pushed the windows open and fallen to the floor.

"What is it?" She pulled on a robe to guard against the chill and crouched down beside him.

Desperately, he pulled her into a hug, and she endured it knowingly. This had happened several times before. He wouldn't speak, wouldn't even mention what nightmare or urge had possessed him, but he seemed to take comfort from her presence.

It was all she could do for him.

And in return, she received support from him as well, a give and take relationship. Love? Was it love? Yes, it was, but they were both too distraught to take it any further, too frightened of repercussions to allow their romance to be anything more than an exchange of adoring touches.

This time, though, was slightly different.

Sound shattered this unreal reality.

Heero spoke.

"II saw him today," he murmured, "I saw Doctor J."

"Heero-"

"I'm so lost, Relena. I'm so lost."

The end of a war does not mean the end of the struggle in the life of as soldier. There was still a conflict, a battle that could never end.

What happens to the lost soldiers?


	3. A Graveyard

CHAPTER II- A Graveyard

CHAPTER II- A Graveyard

A/N: Sorry it's been a while. I want to thank you all for your supportive comments so far, I've really appreciated them. Please enjoy this little teaser before I get to the this story develops a plot' chapter. BOLD ITALICS symbolizes an event in the past.

**__**

"Of course you are suggesting a very interesting idea, Doctor J, but I believe that that will not be necessary for the pilots under our training. Your Odin' seems highly sensitive, so I can see why further brainwashing would be necessary." The Pinnochio-like man said in a unintentionally sneering voice over the crackling video link, "The others have agreed. You are free to proceed with the administration of mind-altering drugs."

Doctor J place a hand on his artificial arm carefully, "I wonder, Doctor O, if we are doing the right thing."

"This is a time of war, man, and there's no place for morals." Doctor O said harshly, "If the enemy plays dirty, then we must do the same! Which is more important, Doctor J, the freedom of the colonies or the life of one child?"

The answer, of course, was obvious. But was it right? Logic and morality did battle, and rational thinking won, conscious thought over primal instinct- which was not, in this case, a good thing.

"Acknowledged, Doctor O."

The vid screen went blank.

"I thought I'd find you here." Heero said softly in the tranquil graveyard, where three headstones were facing a peaceful bay.

Two of those graves were empty.

The person to whom Heero was talking to was leaning against another gravestone, staring at the carved granite words as if they proclaimed her fate.

"Mariemeia reminded me of myself," she murmured motioning with a slim, delicate hand to the grave on the farthest left, "She was a figurehead with no real power, a pawn to Dekim Barton and all of those who wanted power." She sighed brokeningly towards the sunset, "I can't help but think of myself in the same way."

Heero treasured these moments, when Relena was so fed up with something that she would spout it out like that, loquacious and apologetically, as if she was sorry that you were the one to bear the edge of her disappointment. He loved that about her, but he did not let it show.

"You had all of the traits of a martyr. You were —and still are- willing to sacrifice your life in the name of your people. People are drawn to that." He replied coldly.

She smiled over at him, "People could say the same about you."

"But I don't do it with a smile."

She laughed at this, a strange sound in a place of death. She looked over to him, smiling ever so slightly, "I haven't been to the grave of my foster parents in a long time. Would you walk with me over there?"

He didn't need to answer that, for she knew that he would follow.

Their headstones were less prominent, with two names printed regally across the stone: Darlian Family.'

"My foster mother was killed soon after my father's death. OZ got to her before I even knew what was going on." She said softly, "I never really liked her much anyway. She acted as if I wasn't her responsibility. It was only then that I understood why." She turned to Heero, "What of your family? Have you visited their graves?"

He seemed more distant than normal, as if her tone had struck a chord with him, "I believe in keeping the past buried."

She looked at him sadly, longing to brush a hand over his cheek or touch his shoulder, but knowing that that movement at this time would scare him away.

It was strange, she reflected, how they could know each other so completely, even though they had been apart for so long. But somehow, when she looked in his eyes, she saw a spark of vivacious that she felt drawn to. She did not know that her eyes had exactly the same glow, as if they were one soul in two bodies.

Relena sighed, venting every ounce of frustration, pity, and bitterness with one exhale, "If we bury the past, we will never learn from it, Heero. If everyone was to forget the horrors of war, they would start it again, out of curiosity. It's a vicious cycle that we are fighting to break."

"Burying personal past and wars are entirely separate things."

She shook her head violently. Heero liked this about her. She valued his opinion, but when she disagreed, she said so boldly and without fear of retaliation, "Every event in your life changes and teaches you new things. War is an event, Heero. Burying that would be like burying the atrocities that went with war."

He looked up sharply, in the manner of a cat reacting to an unheard sound. She realized from his stubborn expression that he wouldn't talk with her anymore tonight.

Idly, she turned back to the sunset, watching the soft pastel oranges, yellows, and pinks darken into red, purple, and black. When she turned back ot the space that Heero had occupied, she was not surprised to see that he had gone.

"Ms. Ariel Yuy, is there any light to the rumors that you may be running for presidency of the ESUN?" The reporter asked eagerly, catching Ariel by surprise.

She smiled regally, "Yes, there may indeed."

"Relena, have you heard the news?"

The former princess, former queen, former vice-foreign minister, and current college student stared at the vidscreen with mild surprise. She was looking at Shea Kenton, a former colleague from her days in the political arena. The old man had a worried expression on his face that set Relena on her guard.

"No, what is it?"

"Ariel Yuy is running for president."

It felt as if the pit of her stomach had given way.


	4. A Sound in the Night

CHAPTER III-The Plot

CHAPTER III-The Plot

A/N: Ceci must STOP writing short chapters! Gomen ne!

**_She stumbled into the house bruised and bleeding. Ariel had posted herself on the landing of the second floor, hands twined around the bars as she waited for her mother to come home._**

Her mother struggled in, coughing and crying, touching her bruised thighs as if she were filled with disgusting pain.

"Mama?" Ariel asked quietly.

"Call the doctor, Ariel, call your father. Mommy got hurt."

Ariel didn't know what rape was at that time, or even why it existed. All she knew was that her resulting brother did not belong. That somehow, all of her mother's suffering and death was his responsibility.

Ariel Yuy had expected the sounds of an intruder in her house. She smiled at his angry when he knocked over a vase.

_You're getting careless, my brother._

But then, she had placed it in the middle of the living room floor for exactly that reason. She knew that in the profound darkness, not even Heero Yuy would see it. She was perched in her bed, her blankets drawn up to her chin, eagerly awaiting the confrontation.

When he entered the room, her grin had turned into a full-blown smile, "Hello, Heero. I hear you've been making a great deal of nocturnal visits lately."

He didn't reply, merely rose his gun to kill her, "There's no one to stop me now."

"I heard about your addiction. It was so tragic." She gave him a look of wide-eyed pity, ducking down his chin to look up at him, "I'm an open shot, Heero. I won't try and bribe you." She lifted her head regally, "Kill me. Kill me just like you killed our mother!"

His hesitation was obvious.

"Ah, but to kill me was not your plan, was it? You want to threaten me out of the elections, because you are a afraid I won't guide peace in the direction you want it to." She clapped her hands cheerfully, "I know! Why don't we pretend we've already had the conversation, that I refused to give in, and it's all over and done with. It was a messy affair anyway."

"Ariel" he growled. She brightened up.

"You know what? I think I want things to go differently than this. I don't think you have control in this situation, Heero Yuy," her voice had become cool and business-like, "I know you cut off electricity to this estate, and that you believe this conversation is not being monitored. Unfortunately, you forgot about remote cameras. I have been monitoring this room for the past week, expecting your visit." She leered broadly, "Unless you do as I ask, you will find yourself strapped with attempted murder. As far as I can tell, that's a felony."

For one moment, she was certain he would kill her. Then, as if pulled by invisible strings, his gun arm lowered, shaking.

She smiled and dipped her head.

The following words came out between clenched teeth, "What is it you want?"

"I want you to file suit against Doctor J under charges of child abuse."

"What?"

"I think acknowledgement of our connection would be advantageous to me at this point. Just _think_ about the publicity!"

He said nothing, only walked out.

What else could he do?


	5. 

CHAPTER IV- The Delivery of News in All Forms and Methods

CHAPTER IV- The Delivery of News in All Forms and Methods

A/N: All Hail Polka Dot! Thank you for you GOOD POINT!!! Sorry about the short chapters, guys, I've been busy lately and my writing hasn't been up to its usual standards. Thanks to Silver Wing, Polka Dot, Iria, mÛrlÌamh, Katie, mimi748, Ayanami-chan (hugs to you too), Sailor Event Horizon, and all those wonderfully consist readers (sorry if I forgot some names)!!!

There was an explosion. Ariel Yuy was in her breakfast nook, eating a bagel and basking in the morning sunlight when a violent rumble growled over the Earth.

Ariel's cook turned to her nervously, "Ma'am?"

She shook her head, "I was expecting him to do something like that." She spooned her cereal calmly, "I'll just have to move on to a different plan," she smiled at the confused cook, "Some people can be just so stubborn, you know? I mean, they get themselves stuck on one mindset and you can only pull them away from the ideals with a pry bar or a great deal of patience."

The cook smiled carefully at her mistress, "Well, if patience ever fails, I have a pry bar in the basement."

They both broke out into peals of laughter.

Ariels bedroom had blown up, as well as Ariel's blackmail.

The ringing of the vidcom confused Heero as he stumbled into his perch by Relena's mansion. He still stayed in his small hidey-hole, it had, after all, been his home for the past year- it was hard to discard things sometimes, and the endearing little tree house was one of them. Besides, it was comforting to know that Relena was nearby- she always got herself in so much trouble that it was just more convenient to stay near.

Even though she attending college regularly, she remained living in her house, seeing as she still needed constant protection from anyone left from the war that held a grudge against her.

Carefully, Heero looked up at the afternoon sun. She would be in her study now, reading mail. He shook his head at that. Even though she agreed to have her mail checked for bombs and poison, she still insisted upon reading the hate mail as well as the other letters.

He could see her clearly through the foliage of the tree Heero nested in, looking sadly over some letter. Stupid. She would probably want company. She didn't like to nurse sorrow alone. Of course, it had_ nothing_ to do with the fact that he longed for company as well, or that it was easier to avoid thinking about his addiction with a loyal friend beside himor anything at all to do that special way her hair caught the sunlight and the warmth of her arm around his waist as she cried into his shoulder.

No, it was simply his duty as a friend (for he had begun to consider himself such) to comfort her in a time of need.

He climbed nimbly to the ground and to her window. There was a tap, a nod of consent, and he was beside her. No, they would not talk. He would simply bask in her presencegive silent support while she sat. Sometimes she would say what was bothering her, or she would just take strength from knowing he was there.

Occasionally, she would have a letter that was so tragic, she would simply stare desolately out the window, begging for the world to cheer her up. And perhaps it would be a selfish sadness, and she would feel a great depression about something that reminded her of Pegan, her foster parents, Mariemeia, or Lady Une. And sometimes she would sink into a sadness so deep that not even his comforting silence could penetrate it.

Heero wondered if his mother had worried over other people too. He had downloaded every picture he could of her and plastered them all on one wall of his tree house, right beside his computer, powered by electricity pirated from Relena. Hey, she never seemed to mind.

"This woman was the wife of one of the men from the Treiz faction who died protecting the Sanc Kingdom," she said softly, brushing away tears, "she wants to know what exactly he fought for that day. She wants me to make it right." She tossed the letter back on the desk and rubbed her face in frustration, "Will it ever stop?! Why can't they just understand what I said and push for peace themselves? They keep believing that **I** made the peace they created."

She looked out the window desperately, "Yesterday I got a call from a man with a bottle of sleeping pills. He said he would take all of them if I didn't go back to my job." She looked violent, "I mean, what is WRONG with people anyway?! Can't they just try and stop looking for some one to tell them what to do?!"

Heero looked at her impassively, "What happened to the man?"

Relena shrugged absently, "We talked it out and he ended up calming down and hanging up." She replied as if it were nothing, "The problem is that I can't do that with everyone, I can't talk it out and make them understand my reasons."

Heero sensed that her frustration had been vented and rose to leave. However, he paused at the window, "I told you once that you are a far better person than I. I was right then, and I still am now."

"What do you mean?"

"If I was in the same position as you, I would have let him kill himself." Heero left.

Relena sighed and reached for another piece of mail.

"Doctor J," the noble's clear baritone boomed across the vidcom link, his gentle brown eyes penetrating the reflective eyes of the aged man.

"Marquis de la Jour, how good to hear from you," came the reply.

"Former Marquis, Doctor J, I'm now head of the Preventers."

"I see." Doctor J coughed slightly, "Well? What is it you want?"

"I have a job proposition for you. Are you interested?"

"Why, yes. Of course I am."

Relena sighed and shut her textbook wearily. Three hours of studying had made her vision blur and zapped every pore of her body of energy. Yes, she decided, that was more than enough of that.

She arched her back, hearing the joints pop with satisfaction. She pulled herself up carefully, padding silently to the kitchen nursing a ravishing hunger. She needed something to eat. Desperately.

She winced slightly as she passed the door, where Pegan had fallen several months ago, dead. Sighing she looked around. She should have gone to the trouble of hiring someone else to cook or clean, but she couldn't summon the strength to do so. If she were to do that, it would mean that Pegan was never coming back again- and no one could really replace him.

She was, however, delayed from her mission by the ringing of the vidcom, and she paused to answer it. Please let it be shorttell me it's just someone asking about the homework

It was Hilde, her blue eyes and hair making that assumption evident in an instant.

"Relena, I'm sorry to be calling you like this-" she began.

"It's no bother, Hilde," Relena replied, with a hand over her potentially growling stomach, "What's wrong?"

"Relena, you need to turn on ESUN News right now. They're airing something that I think you will find rather disturbing."

Relena gave her a puzzled look, murmured an affirmative response, hung up, and turned on her television.

"Many people wonder what life as a hero would be like," the broadcaster said in a clear even voice, "Well, ESUN News as given ten minutes to give my report on the recent events of the life of a very modern hero, a man known to many of us as Gundam Pilot Heero Yuy. Ironically, this codename is far closer to the truth than any one of us ever realized.

"I recently got hold of a very intriguing report taken after Heero Yuy had been captured after his landing on Earth. The sequencing of his mitochondrial DNA confirmed a direct relation to the great peacekeeper of space: Heero Yuy. Other tests performed when Mr. Yuy was briefly hospitalized directly after the Barton coup d'état confirm this fact.

"This boy, raised as an assassin and later genetically modified for better fighting abilities, has led a harsh life. Fortunately, he has found some happiness. The pilot's relationship to the well-known Relena Darlian-Peacecraft has been a matter of much dispute lately, and it has come to be generally agreed upon as a close friendship. However, neither party has risen to confirm or disprove the hearsay about a romantic relationship between the two.

"We have also found managed to ask Senator Ariel Yuy about her feelings on this matter." A clip of Ariel's face took over the screen, and the background noise lead them to believe that she had been caught unaware, "Ms. Yuy, what is your opinion on this shocking revelation?"

She grinned softly, her eyes full of challenge, "I would love to finally meet my brother face to face again after all these years."

The camera switched back to the broadcaster, whose face was alight with happiness and joy at getting the story first of all his fellows in the media, "Well, there you have it, folks. This further proves that even those with bad pasts can embrace brighter futures."

Relena switched of the T.V. in despair and sighed. It seemed as though the world was destined to give her and those she loved a difficult time.

"What is the nature of this job you are offering?" Doctor J asked with avid interest.

"Keeping the peace, my good man, keeping the peace."

Heero had decided it was time to leave. The shuttle was crammed with occupants, and the high-pitched wail of the baby beside the retired pilot had not stopped since they had cleared lunar orbit. In other words, he was nursing one major headache. However, the constant hum of machinery, the taste of recycled air, even the scent of sterilized plastic stirred up a sense of nostalgia in the boy that was so moving, he wanted nothing more than to bask in the flow memories that the smells, sights, and sounds awakened in him.

The mother, a harassed woman with hair that was frizzy from neglect and a creased face from overwork, turned to the quiet man beside her as she quieted her child, "Is this your first trip to space?"

He shook his head.

"It's my first. I mean, the vids always show the colonies as Earth-like, but they're really just overgrown spaceships, aren't they? I mean, how do they stay in place?"

" They usually orbit a planet, with stabilizing thrusters keeping them in that set orbit. In some ways, they are far safer than Earth, with no unpredictable storms or droughts or weather patterns."

She smiled at him, "My, you're one smart boy. My name's Katie Peason, from Kansas. We're going to visit my husband on one of the mining colonies. He says they're going to be striking soon, and wants us to come back to him. What's your name?"

Heero let himself smirk slightly, "Mark Hiragi."

"Hiragi? Sounds Japanese. And you also have a bit of an accent."

"I was raised speaking Japanese, yes."

"Why are you going to the colonies, Mark Hiragi?"

He shrugged, "So that I won't be exploited."

She waited for him to elaborate but he continued to look ahead austerely.

Katie's baby finally quieted, and she felt an urge for human companionship, so she turned back to the boy. Besides, his silence was a painful sort, as if he had been in a great deal of trouble. "You're very clever, Mark. Is it natural, or did you study a lot in school?"

He grimaced slightly, "I was taught to be very observant. For instance, I know that whenever the left thruster is turned on, the high-pitched whine of the engine will awaken your baby. In fact, the next course change should happen right now."

There was a shift, and the infant began to scream again.

After Katie had calmed her child, she decided to suffer through boredom rather than speak again to the passenger sitting next to her- some people are just intimidating in that way.

Presently Heero leaned back and closed his eyes, dreaming of green grass, a girl with golden hair, and a exploiting demon with acid yellow eyes.

A/N: Next chapter is ::dum dum dum:: a new character introduction! AAAAAANNNNND we find out why Heero left (if that hasn't already been figured out) AND a TOUCH more about Doctor J's new job. And other stuff. Lots of other stuff.

~ML


	6. 

CHAPTER V- The Artist's Touch

CHAPTER V- The Artist's Touch

"Soloman. I want to talk to Soloman, Kara." Relena demanded through the vidcom, "Not his representative, not his advisor. I want Soloman in the flesh and blood."

The secretary looked up from the perfectly manicured nail she was filing, "I'm sorry, Ms. Darlian. Senator Soloman is a very busy person who-"

"-Will speak to you right now," came a voice off screen.

Relena sighed when she recognized the middle-aged face of Senator Soloman, "Senator, you have no idea how glad I am to see you."

"There are few orators who can bring me to tears, Ms. Darlian. You are one of them."

She smiled cheerfully at him, "Do I know the others?"

"Martin Luther King Jr., Ghandi, a few others."

"Who were they?"

"Some before-colony speakers."

"Oh."

"What is it you wanted, Ms. Relena?"  


The former queen sighed and rubbed the back of her neck distractedly, "Senator Soloman, I wanted to know how the elections are going in Geneva."

"Have you been to the new Senate House yet? It's very exquisite." He said off-handedly, and then shuddered at her belittling glare, "You must still be living in Acropolis, then. Well, anyway, Senator Yuy is gaining a great deal of support from the colony-born senators, and her very title has brought quite a few former aristocrats to her side."

"So she'll win, then?"

He shook his head, "No, the Earth Representative of Southern Europe Flavio DeToni is still ahead by a slim margin."

"And you're saying that even the slightest amount of major positive publicity for Senator Yuy will help her leap that margin."

"Yes, and this lost brother' ploy could get her those indecisive votes. It makes her seem compassionate to the soldiers left over from the war."

"Clever. Very clever."

"Ms. Relena," Soloman said warmly, eyes full of pride, "If you were to voice your opinion, the public would definitely chose the candidate you want. In fact, it's your political silence that has left so many so irresolute." He smiled, "Thousands would give their teeth for the power that you now hold."

Her smile was wide, but her eyes were sad, "They can have it for free, believe me."

"Well, Relena? What will you do?"

"I'll do things my own way, Senator. I refuse to manipulate the public."

He grinned wryly, "That is the first true sign that you are not a politician."

"I never said I was."

Relena was left with a blank screen and an empty heart. Heero Yuy would have to stay hidden. Hopefully, by election-time, the matter would fade in the public's memory, and Ariel would fall to her opponent.

Mournfully, Relena looked up to the now empty tree, and down to the note on her desk. It had been written with simple Heero Yuy tact.

__

I have to go away for awhile, unnoticed. You know why. Make sure no one traces me.

-Heero

Typical. Sighing, she fell back to her desk. When the vidcom rang again, the picture of her slouching in an almost defeated way, would be the first thing seen.

Three months to Election Day.

Heero Yuy did not know quite what to do. Laying low had always been quite easy for him, well, for the most part. He was sitting on a bench in a park, trying to absorb the soothing sounds of Japanese floating around him on the currents of artificially scented air.

He was on colony L1. This was the only home he would ever know.

"Ohiyo, Yasuo-sensei! Dochirahe?" *

"Junchou, daisei." **

The words, spoken between the high-pitched tone of a student and that of an older man, were right behind him. He sat still, staring coldly ahead.

__

I will not be noticed. I will not be noticed

"Konnichiha," *** the older voice murmured from above Heero's head, and he washorrified to notice that their footsteps had stopped right behind him, "Leave us, daisei." The old man hissed to his student, and the person scurried away with a tap of nervous feet, "Well, deshi?**** Isn't it considered rude not to greet the person who has addressed you?"

"Go away." Heero growled, "before you truly regret your decision to speak to me."

"Deshi! Such language! Will you not use the formal language when speaking to an elder?"

The boy stood up and faced the ancient man with cold, unflinching hatred searing in his eyes, "I only treat those who have earned my respect with such a tone."

"Give me two minutes, and I will earn it, deshi."

"Why must you call me that? I am not an apprentice to you or any man!"

The teacher shook his head, "No, you are indeed my deshi. Allow me those two minutes, and let me prove that as well."

Heero hesitated, intrigued.

The teacher took this as consent, "You are an observant boy. Every blade of grass, every bloom has underwent keen scrutiny," the man's eyes narrowed, "What color was the flower beside the maple tree?"

There was no uncertainty in his reply, "Red, with flecks of gold on the outermost petals."

He nodded, "Yes, boy, you have that skill. And yet, you also carry a depth of emotions inside of you that is far richer than any palate I have laid my hands on." He smiled a crooked smile, "You carry hatred, frustration, love, passion, and a terrible thirst for vengeance. The sadness that you hide away from everyone is so clear to me, that I could laugh. You are indeed knowledgeable, but beneath that core of intelligence lies a pit of self-doubt that is eating away your soul. You have succumbed to temptation before, deshi, but the experience has only made you stronger. You have yet to realize that." The man spread his hands, the sleeves of his Bukubuku***** spreading like the wings of a blue bird, "Are you yet convinced?"

"That took two minutes and thirty two seconds-" Heero hesitated, "-sensei."

Yasuo's face folded like rice paper as he beamed, "I see this will be an interesting relationship, deshi."

And indeed it would.

"You only need twelve?" Doctor J confirmed over the vidcom, "Twelve weapons?"

"Trust me, Doctor J, if you make them well enough, twelve will be all we need."

"Very well, I understand what you are asking. Are you sure it will be as bad as that on the outer colonies?" the doctor dared.

"No, my good friend, it will be much worse."

It took a while for the people on the mining colony to realize that the sound they were hearing was not the screaming of a desperate child, but the wailing of sirens. Rocks and bits of machinery torn from walls and other such structures tore through windows and homes, and the pulse of human voices crying out in anger sounded much like the rumble of distant thunder.

"End to exploitation, death to unawareness! End to exploitation, death to unawareness! End to exploitation, death to unawareness!" The shouted throughout the street, until the dogs began barking at the interruption and the very rafters of the colony shook with the vehement words.

A voice on a loudspeaker carried over the chant, clear and cold and truthful, "Too long have we been repressed so that we may be the slave labor to fuel the Earth Sphere United Nation! Too long have we been exploited and kept as miners without room to grow or move or change! We will rise up from our mines and the filth that marks our trade! We will discard our illness from the poor conditions and strike upon those who have done this to us!"

Every organization has those they exploit, and the ESUN was no different. Except that this time, they were going to do something about it.

"UNITE, MY FRIENDS! UNITE AND LET OUR VOICE BE HEARD!"

People in vast numbers could always be heard. Especially if they had explosive objects that reinforced their statement.

Far away from the ruckus, a boy sat in a studio, with an assortment of perfect drawing spread out before him. The essence of a still life had been captured in a number of economic brushstrokes, the portrait of a child stared back at the viewer.

But Yasuo was not satisfied.

"No, no, no!" he shouted at his pupil, who had blossomed quickly under the few days of under his guidance, "You are not creating artwork!" In a flash of frustration, Yasuo tore Heero's drawing- one of a pleasant bowl of flowers- to shreds, "Draw what you feel, deshi! Draw what tears at you inside! Don't try and make it beautiful! Don't try and make it appealing! Draw what you feel, draw the ugliness, the pain, the joy, the confusion! Draw it or get out of here!" Heero's master took several deep breaths, "I am an artist, deshi, and I am trying to teach you the ways of this profession. You cannot succeed with flowers and fruit, but with passion and life!"

He was asking Heero Yuy to open up. Heero didn't understand.

And the colony shuddered as it made a course adjustment, as if quaking with a sense of approaching terror.

* "Good morning, Professor Yasuo! How are you?

** "I am well, student."

***"Good day."

**** "Apprentice." Heero will be referred to as thus by Yasuo from now on

***** "Baggy clothing"


	7. 

Chapter VII- Twinges of Apprehension

Chapter VII- Twinges of Apprehension

Relena was seated in her chair, staring up at the men that faced her through the vidcom with a cold sense of dread.

"Good day," she said warmly, startlingly aware of her appearance. She was casually dressed, while they were formal. She felt the hot, uncomfortable feeling of being underdressed.

"Ms. Darlian." The short and rotund leader of the group said, "I'd like to extend greetings to you from the chief representatives of the newly united ESUN Senate."

Relena dipped her head cordially. Her clothes were not splendid, and she was not guarded by makeup, but she emitted a regal aura that made all of that fade into the background, "I reciprocate." Her eyes opened and flashed dangerously, "But I believe that we have nothing to discuss."

He shook his head, "We'd like to offer you a job."

"I don't do politics anymore."

"Nevertheless, the offer is Foreign Minister, no red tape or anything." He cut in, "You will be envoy of the ESUN to those acting up in the outer colonies."

"I told you," she replied forcefully, "I quit."

"You've heard about the civil unrest in the outer colonies, right?"

She nodded, "It didn't seem so bad. Surely the preventers are on the case."

She shook his head, "The media was given the spruced up version. The truth is much worse." He examined her face carefully, "They are a mob. They used to be completely run in their individual colonies, their sphere of influence limited to that area. But lately, they're been uniting, spouting out anger about oppression and exploitation from the ESUN."

"Are these accusations true?" she asked coldly.

He looked embarrassed and shrugged, "Every organization needs a labor force, Ms. Relena, but that's not really important right now."

"What do you want me to do?" she hissed, "Tell them to stop? I can guarantee you that they will, but the minute I stop saying how evil it is, they'd start it again! I can't do anything."

"They tortured and killed twenty-three innocents yesterday, Relena, and then sent us the videos as threats. They're rich, they're smart, and they're angry," he replied, "How many dead and tormented will there be before you agree to use your influence?"

He smiled, "I downloaded the videos to your main computer in case you want to double check. I don't really see how you can deny this offer, Ms. Darlian. But if you do, we can make your life very difficult. For instance, your brother, Milliardo Peacecraft, has been presumed dead for years. Oddly enough, though, there are rumors he is still alive and active on the new Mars colony. If a special task force was sent to investigate, what would happen?"

Relena paled.

"Do as we say, Ms. Relena, and I guarantee that won't happen."

She longed for Heero's protective warmth by her side. She was lost, "When do you want me to start?"

"Immediately."

**__**

The angel was looking away, and the background was a crimson red- the color of blood. Her blond hair danced in the wind, and the curve of her cheek was evident in her silhouette. Carefully she spread her wings, but the harsh wind was tugging at her feathers. Desperately, she reached out to him.

Help me flyhelp me fly

**__**

And then the white dust was everywhere, suffocating him with its scent, forcing her to jerk her hand away. They were broken apart.

__

No**he screamed miserably,** _No_

Heero rolled over suddenly, and fell off of the mat that was his bed. He was in the art room, and the blue light of the predawn lit up the room in a strange glow.

Yasuo had told him to sleep here until he tasted inspiration, and Heero finally understood what he meant. He needed to paint. Now.

He puled out a canvas and squeezed oils onto a palette- red, green, yellow, blue, purple, white, until he had a sample of each of them. He had never seen the picture his dream had given him, but it was alive in his inner-eye, pulsing and crying and the angel turned her sad eyes to him, sobbing in confusion.

He could not know what possessed him. He was not painting. He was not slapping paint onto a board. He was pouring the whole of his being into the piece of artwork, bent over it in desperation as the night slowly weaned to day, and Yasuo-sensei stepped into the classroom.

It was not beautiful. It was not sweet. It was ugly and filled with emotion.

Heero Yuy had opened up.

"Denshi, I believe this could be the start of a beautiful career," Yasuo said cheerfully. There were three paintings on the wall, the large on of the angel, and two other smaller ones expressing pain, blood, and lost innocence, "You finally understood. Using the basics I have taught you, you have bloomed, and so suddenly. Three weeks in my care, and I've taught you how to be a painter."

"The mechanics were simple, Yasuo-sensei," Heero said with no modesty or pride.

He grinned and shook a fat finger, "To you, maybe, but I believe you've been trained to pick up such things so quickly. I shall put these up at the next show at the museum." The portly teacher eyed his student carefully, "But under what name should I enter them?"

"Deshi, Yasuo-sensei," he replied, "For I am still an apprentice to life."

Heero walked out and the old man looked after him sadly, "As we all are, boy, as we all are."

He grinned and clapped his hands. He occasionally took up a charity case- they were always so rewarding in mind and spirit.


	8. 

CHAPTER VIII- Tools

CHAPTER VIII- Tools

A/N: This is a LONG chapter! Hooray! At last! Thank you Padme for taking time out of your busy schedule(hey other people reading: she's really busy and she reads these anyway, isn't that nice?) Oh, and Honey Shine- Ariel hates Heero mainly because his birth killed their mother. And to all of those consistent and new readers out there, thanks for reading!!!

BTW, this chapter is a touch disturbing. Sorry!

"Well, do you know?" Doctor J asked his pupil, holding up the model of the machine in one claw and one hand.

Doctor J had always been the leader in experiments with machinery and the human mind. Is researchi n bio organic machinery had always been cutting edge, and the first test subject to the technology had been himself.

Doctor J used to be blind, but even his lack of sight did not hold back the genius that lurked in his mind. Doctor J could only read the bumps on paper with his one hand, and the sounds and smells of the world around him. He had never witnessed compassion or kindness, never had someone take care of him.

He was born deformed, without a limb or the eyes to look upon his disfigurement.

But Doctor J had fixed that. Doctor J had used science to earn him back those gifts that nature had stolen from him, used electricity and heat sensing technology where neurons and electrons failed him.

His experiences without sense would later help him develop excellent war training programs. He would deprive his students of a sense, forcing them to adapt to become stronger individuals.

He could still remember the first day he had gained the gift of sight. There had been a war, at the time, and he remembered walking out of the colony hospital with the colony of L1 in ruins around him, with orphaned children nursing open wounds and people crushed under the weight of rubble.

And that was the time when he experienced an epiphany- he would use his intelligence to try and eliminate such horrible disasters.

Thusly, Doctor J joined several organizations, and became a key component in the horrible plan- Operation Meteor. Doctor J readily realized that he was not a leader, but he was also not a compliant follower. He convinced the others in charge of training the Gundam pilots- originally soldiers supposed to take over Earth after a colony was dropped onto the planet's surface- to give the pilots the choice to create peace on their own.

He realized that he would never be able to achieve the things he wanted with his frail, useless body, so he took advantage of others heartlessly. He would use whatever methods necessary to bend others to his will, for he was certain that his ideals, his dreams for peace, were more important than a few human lives.

Heero Yuy had been his prodigy, his first success- a soldier, completely mentally dependent upon his leader. Doctor J forced his beliefs upon Heero so rigorously, that he took them up as his own. Heero Yuy fought for what he believed was right, and in turn, it ewas exactly what Doctor J wanted as well, fo the scientist had almost made them into the same person, devoted to the same causes.

But even Heero Yuy had had flaws.

Namely, interest in Relena Darlian-Peacecraft, and the eventual rejection of the controlling drugs he had been given.

Doctor J had labelled the determining factor of these flaws to be Heero's age. He had been in the middle of his teenage years, with hormones and a broadening intellect (oh, what a fatal combination) affecting Doctor J's control.

It wasn't that Doctor J believed independence to be a bad thing, just that it was not advantageous.

The child before Doctor J smiled and traced the path into the machinery with a small hand, "This is how I enter, Doctor J."

"Correct, Tyrone."

He nodded, drawing up his four feet of height proudly at the compliment, and Doctor J signaled him to leave, "You will be rewarded. Go back to the training room and call Lasca in."

"Yes, sir."

Yes, Doctor J decided, the key had been the age.

Ariel Yuy collected artwork. She was said to have a spectacular private collection. It was her private weakness, and so when the much-appreciated artist, Yasuo, had invited her to his most recent show, she had eagerly accepted.

She was not expecting the boy who stood beside the masterful artist, wearing simple clothes and the crest of an apprentice of the House of Yasuo. She had blinked once or twice, and then bowed to both of them.

He nodded his head, the closest she had ever seen to him bowing.

"Yasuo-sama, you're art show is very beautiful," she said in formal Japanese, eyeing her brother carefully.

"Thank you, Ariel-san."

She smiled, "And is this boy your newest student? What is his name?"

He shrugged, "He goes by the name of Deshi, and refuses to be referred to as anything else," he was smiling to himself about that, "However, he is also the reason I invited you here. Come look at this!" he said merely, tugging Ariel by the elbow to the large painting of an angel.

The face, dark and silhouette-shaped, could be no other. She smiled. So Heero Yuy stile had an infatuation with Relena Darlian-Peacecraft. How interesting.

"How much are you asking for it?" she asked, watching a slight glint in her brother's eye flicker quickly into and out of existence, "Such masterful work should be appreciated properly."

"It's not for sale," Heero said coldly. He did not understand the life of an artist. He did not understand why his paintings, the extensions of his much guarded soul, had to be taken away and put somewhere, to be seen by people who could not understand how important the picture was to him.

Yasuo waved a hand, "Nonsense, Deshi, while you are still my apprentice, every work you create belongs to the House of Yasuo. This is where you begin to pay us back of the cost of training you. How does one thousand federal notes sound, Senator?"

She grinned pointedly at Heero, "It sounds just fine."

Later that evening, she would ask Yasuo to keep a very close eye on the boy's whereabouts, even if he chose to leave.

Heero was glaring at the man he had come to regard as his teacher, "The painting was mine to keep."

He shook his head, "No, it wasn't, Deshi."

He bent back down and began rolling up his mat, "It doesn't matter, I have to go now anyway."

"You knew her, didn't you?"

"Who?"

"Senator Yuy."

"No, I did not, Yasuo-sensei."

The elderly teach slapped the boy in the face, sending him sprawling, for he far outweighed the teenager in experience and weight, "Do not lie and call me sensei' in the same sentence!"

Heero picked himself up, pressing one hand to his cheek, "I can guarantee you I won't be calling you sensei' ever again." He looked at the older man with disgust, "I knew I shouldn't have trusted you. Everyone in my life uses me. I should have learned my lesson."

The teacher shook his head, "You must learn that you cannot only take from this world, deshi, you must also give back."

"You believe that I have not contributed, Yasuo?" he growled, "I gave up my soul for the world! I gave up everything so that you could sleep comfortably without fear of death or persecution. You have no idea what I had to go through to do that," he added, almost heart-brokenly, "So don't go telling me I cannot understand."

He left without another word, unaware of the tracer that had been placed on his bedroll.

Yasuo sighed, "I'm sorry, deshi."

Ariel Yuy was in a conference. No, it wasn't a trade conference, a peace conference, or even an environmental conference. In fact, the whole entire meaning of the meeting was to talk about one person, and one person only- Senator Ariel Yuy.

The air was full of smoke, the night air warded off by brightly burning lights. Several men were seated around the table with the senator, take long drags on their cigarettes and scoring notes on paper as they spoke.

"Ariel, your major contender for the Imperialist party nomination, the former Marquis de la Jour, has been boasting about his knew solution to the uprising on the outer colonies." One of her advisors said, scratching his chin, "It seems as if he's taking an almost militaristic stance, which should be expected from the leader of the Preventers."

Ariel nodded her head in consideration. Her smooth brow was draw and her yellow gaze focused, as she looked back upon the situation with the outer colonies.

She had only been to one once before, the majority of them were orbiting or attached to asteroids, built with second rate equipment and prone to computer failure or annihilation from neighboring asteroids. There was a saying that if you ever wanted to be reckless, you became a space miner- for it was a job no one took up voluntarily, unless they were mad.

She had gone to an outer colony as a child on the memorial day of her father's death. She had been paraded around the hard worn people with blackened faces and bleeding hands to show them that there were far more beautiful things in life than black coal or diamonds minded in the depths of cold rocks in the middle of space.

"It seems then, that in order to show the public how we are better than him, we will have to take up a mission of peace."

"Yes, Senator Yuy, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. Relena Darlian has not only reinstated, but promoted to the full status of Foreign Minister. She, and a peace delegation, are headed to the colonies right now."

Ariel's blood was fit to boil with fury, "Your point?"

"We have contacts in the mob that controls the outer colonies. They've just recently organized, Ms. Yuy, and have heard about the approaching shuttle. They will shoot it down."

Ariel laced her fingers and put her elbows up on the table, "I see."

"If we were to intercept them and save the Foreign Minister, your popularity points will shoot up. You wouldn't have to worry about getting the nomination anymore, the presidency would be handed to you on a silver platter."

She frowned, "But?"

"But to strike them directly would mean loosing our contacts on the outer colonies. The mob doesn't take kindly to informants, and they would be easily traced and destroyed."

"So we must get someone else to do our dirty worksomeone who will be associated with us, but will not be directly affiliated with me."

"Someone intelligent enough to look like he had figured it out on his own."

Ariel smiled. _Of course!_

"Yasuo, have you kept to our bargain?" she asked over the phone, red hair loose and eyes deadly.

"The boy is sleeping in Henna Park." He replied, "Now, may I buy back the painting from you?"

She smiled, "Yes."

Heero woke to the sounds of footsteps approaching, and rose quickly from the park bench, ready to escape into the woods.

"No need to run, my brother." The assailant said calmly, in that tone of voice that meant she had important news, "I thought you might be interested in something I have learned."

"I have no interest in anything you have to say."

"Of course not," she said, "Not even about Relena Darlian?"

Thirty minutes later, a shuttle was hijacked from a space port on L1, and was tracked on a course towards the outer colonies.

The officer that discovered this wondered vaguely why anyone would every want to go there.


	9. The Flaming Chariot

CHAPTER VIII- The Flaming Chariot

CHAPTER VIII- The Flaming Chariot

(A/N: Sorry about the bad grammar last chapter, a nasty cold robbed me of my grammatical skills! BTW, the chapters are screwed up because ff.net is screwed up, and I'm very sorry for any confusion this may have caused.)

Heero cursed himself inwardly. He used to be so well informed about everything in Relena's life, and now the moment he turned his back she managed to get herself into trouble again.

Life really had it in for both of them.

**__**

"What will you do for us?"

The room was black. The little boy was perched on a stool, staring up at the man before him with wide blue eyes. The only light came from somewhere above, burning away every part of the soul like an angry white fire.

"I will kill."

"Why?"

"To create peace."

"Whom will you follow?"

"Y...y"

"Hesitation will not be rewarded."

"I will follow you."

The older man leaned forward, "Do not forget, boy, I can give you the only thing you will ever want. You can search the universe a dozen times over and you will never find a substitute as rewarding as this." He placed a small packet full of white powder in the little boy's hand, "You've done well today, Odin. Take this, and enjoy your reward."

Heero shook his head.

He had found his replacement, and it was far less demanding.

She never asked much from him, companionship, maybe sympathy. But in return she had given him so much.

When the gundams dropped to Earth for the revised Operation Meteor, Heero had lost his supply of drugs. He fought harder than he had ever dreamed he could to regain that supply and do as he was told.

But then, something in the war changed him. He stopped viewing his actions as missions or jobs, but what they really were, quests for peace. Killing had been a job. But it had become an obligation.

Heero had realized what he was fighting for.

And her name was Relena.

Her world was collapsing around her, her family dead, her life a deception, and yet she still remained pure and herself. She would look upon the harshest of realities and still manage to maintain her delicate fantasies of how much better the world could be.

When he had first met Relena, he surmised that he was stronger than she was. He was fighting, making a difference, while she could do nothing. But then he observed that she was not weaker than him, but merely possessed a different kind of strength. She could walk into a room with a pack of enemies, and they would leave her spouting her ideals with joyous enthusiasm.

When she spoke, the world stopped to listen.

That was why he had chosen to follow her originally- because he had finally concluded that he could never compare to her.

And slowly, he began to realize that he wanted her in more ways than as a symbol of peace for all people, but he believed he could never be her peer, and any romance between them had merely been a weakness on both sides.

She had saved him, and she was so much better than him.

He had no idea just how equal they truly were.

"Confirmed visual target," he said to himself, reconfiguring the computer's calculations as his shuttle approached hers. The was a spark behind him, and he wondered vaguely how much longer his ship would last keeping such a high and dangerous speed.

The white spacecraft he was tracking so meticulously was navigating the asteroid field nimbly, moving just within normal safe speed limits. Heero had had to disengage every safety his ship possessed to catch up with them, and the poor craft was showing the signs of its strain. He had twenty minutes perhaps, if he was lucky.

There was a glint behind an asteroid. The trap was being activated.

He looked back down at his computer. Twenty minutes.

Heero smirked and activated what weapons remained on his shuttle.

More than enough time.

Relena looked up from the progress report she was reading to the copilot that stood before her. She was dressed in Preventer's garb, one of the newer recruits who was slightly star-struck by being given the honor of escorting the famous newly promoted Foreign Minister.

"What is it, Major Gherin?"

Hr eyes were grim, "Ms. Relena, we've detected several space mines on neighboring asteroids, all geared to explode. We can't maneuver past them, and if we stop, we activate the ones we've past." She looked almost close to tears, "I'm so sorry, Ms. Relena!"

The steely eyed delegate shook her head, "How were you supposed to know? Are there any escape pods?"

"It wouldn't matter, Ms. Relena." The woman said softly, "Captain Stevens' navigating might be able to buy us a few more minutes but-"

Her words were cut off as a nearby explosion rocked the ship.

Doctor J was standing in the middle of a machine so vast and beautiful, it looked like a jewel carved out of the rocky, barren landscape. A bubble of energy absorbing material encased the machine, which resembled a spider flipped on its stomach, with all eight metal legs bent towards the center.

Hesitantly, a child crept towards him, staring up at his creator with wide, emotionless eyes, "Am I to enter in this thing?" he asked stoically, as if he were asking to enter a house or a building.

A house or a building did not have the capabilities that this machine had.

"Yes, Tyrone," the doctor told him, "I'll manage it from here, I just need you to get in and do it like I taught you."

"Yes, sir." The boy began moving towards the epicenter of the vast device.

"Wait, Tyrone-" Doctor J called.

He turned, as heartless and focused as Heero Yuy had ever been.

"You're the best of all your brothers and sisters. Do your best out there."

"Yes, sir."

The young child's body was grasped by many force fields from the electromagnets around him, and brought up to the empty place where the eight spider's legs' met.

"Activate." He said softly, and he found himself surrounded by curious white light.

Relena looked up from the floor, surprised that she was still alive. The shuttle had not exploded, but a nearby asteroid had. She went to the nearest window and saw another ship efficiently targeting an destroying the asteroids around her.

Soon, it was over, an a face appeared on the nearby vidscreen. She did not need a picture to know that it was Heero Yuy, "space mines had been terminated. My shuttle is no longer space worthy. Prepare to receive another passenger."

Relena merely smiled at him, her face and eyes alight with happiness, "Understood."

"General de la Jour, sir!" an officer said, nodding sharply at his superior, "Mining colony XLJ008 has disappeared, sir!"

The leaders of the preventers looked up sharply from the reports scattered on his desk, "What do you mean, disappeared?"

"It has undergone complete radio silence and a team sent there brought us visual proof." He swallowed nervously, "As of zero hour (A/N: i.e. midnight) this morning, the colony has been simply wiped out of existence."

The leader rose a hand to his mouth to cover a smile.

It had worked!


	10. An Image in a Mirror Reflected over Time

CHAPTER VIII- A Reflection Across Time Projected On A Mirror

CHAPTER VIII- A Reflection Across Time Projected On A Mirror

A/N: Sorry this took so long, but I've been plotting out the rest of this story (I already wrote the endingnow I have to deal with writing the middle :P) I've also been researching things, like the exact date of the original Heero Yuy's death and etcI also saw the Endless Waltz movie version in Japaneseit made so much more sense :P ::sighs:: They also redid the ending sequence, and I liked it far better. 

I also found out an interesting tidbit of info that I must have missed when watching the series- that OZ was originally an organization of secret agentsmuch like the preventers!!! (I will incorporate that in my story! ::evil cackle::) Anyway, I also thought I should tell you that this Masquerade series will be a trilogy, and while each story could probably stand on it's own, they link together. With each story, the interactions between Relena and Heero become more frequent and emotional, starting with no interaction at all, to friendship, and then to romance.

Thank you all for your patience! Unfortunately, this chapter is short. I'm still setting things up for chapter nine, which will be a big one, and we will finally be exposed to the mafia

WARNING: This incredibly short (I'm sorry already!) chapter has a touch of sap in the beginning ;)

Heero was seated in a chair at the far end of the shuttle, trying to ignore everything and everyone as he stared at a certain young woman with light hair that was fighting over the video link with the representative from the nearest colony- MC-4203. Heero sighed and remembered how finicky young colonies always were- much like L3X-18999, the colony where Heero had lost his first friend.

And Heero remembered all too well.

He had been under contract with a man named Odin Lowe, posing as his son, when he was truly an alibi and an assistant to the assassin, and the trip to colony L3X-18999 was going to be Odin's last job.

It was the day the contract would end, the day when the young boy would be forced to live on his own again. Their past relationship had not been in any way kind or friendly, but they had grown used to each other's actions and nuances of personality, much like old comrades in arms against the life that had been too cruel to them.

Three men had had a strong affect on Heero's life, one assassin, one doctor, and one artist. They had both been older in years, and Heero was shocked to realize that in his mind's eye, their faces had begun to blend into one fuzzy and indistinct image that only meant abandonment, betrayal, and dislike.

What had Odin Lowe done for Heero Yuy? He killed his family and adopted him, only to die and leave Heero alone again.

Doctor J had used him ruthlessly for his own cause, and Heero had followed him blindly.

Yasuo had taught him how to express himself, but then stripped that away in the name of business and profit.

In the end, only Heero remained, a bitter, angry husk that could not trust anyone or anything.

He looked ahead quietly, watching Relena speak to the fellow diplomat, watching the knee length skirt and business jacket that outlined her long, shapely body so wellHe drew his eyes towards the window, forcing his attention upon the glittering pinpricks of stars against the complete blackness of night.

Relena had been the only one who wanted nothing from him. She had never asked him to give her anything in return for her kindness. He closed his eyes, remembering the way her lips felt against his, the delicate warmth of her body as he held her, her fingertips on his skin-

"They're far too riled to do anything but yell," came a mutter, and Heero opened his eyes in surprise.

Relena was seated beside him ankles and arms crossed as she glared at the seat in front of her. He felt almost as if she were intruding upon his fantasy, and turned to look out the window again, attempting to ignore her.

But it was impossible. She wouldn't keep quiet. She sighed softly and leaned a head on his shoulder. He remained rigid, as if he was too frightened to move. She let out a sleepy murmur.

"Sorry, Heero. But this trip has been exhausting and you are a good pillow." And with that, she dozed off.

He waited about ten minutes before he dared to look down on her, and then settled his head on the window as he began to feel sleep stealing across his nerves. The tension and stress he had been carrying seemed to slowly unwind and twist away from him, and he found his eyes slowly shut for a well-deserved nap.

Ariel Yuy sighed and quickly faxed the photos she had taken to the press. Her brother had performed admirably, but then, he didn't really have a choice, did he?

She was standing in her shuttle, the plush interior reflecting her sophisticated taste. She needed to win this election, needed to gain this last ounce of power. Ariel Yuy was born in the year A.C. 175, the year her grandfather was murdered by the assassin Odin Lowe. Five years later, her half- brother was born, and three years after that, the rest of her family was murdered in a bombing by the same assassin who had killed her grandfather.

But her brother had survived as well and would later become the renowned pilot of Gundam 01.

She had tried to hide this information, tried to conceal the facts so she would be more popular in the eyes of her people. It was ironic that now she could only win her political battle by exposing this truth.

Ariel Yuy was only twenty-three years old, but anger had made her so much older.

"We traced the course of the peace envoy, Ms. Yuy," her pilot reported, stepping forward eagerly, "Darlian is heading for MC-4203, the leading mining colony."

"What are her chances of success?"

"Supposedly very low, but where ever the minister goes, miracles never seem to be far behind."

"Good job, Tyrone."

It was the closest Tyrone had ever come to receiving a compliment. He smiled at Doctor J cheerfully.

"Really?"

"Yes, you remind me of another boy I trained before you." Doctor J patted him on the head, "He was the best at what he did."

"Am I better?" the boy asked in anticipation.

Doctor J's voice seemed different, "You both did very different tasks. MC-XLJ008 was completely eliminated an a matter of seconds, and Heero Yuy's tasks took far longer than that."

Tyrone smiled at his hero, "But it was necessary, right?"

"Yes," Doctor J replied, "We must set an example to everyone. Revolution is not an option for it will end in corruption, as always." The scientist smiled at his creation, "The others don't understand things as you do. Their wills are not strong enough and their control over the machine is very poor. I suppose conditioning can only take someone so far."

Doctor J picked up his jacket and took the small boy by the elbow. Together they walked to the exit of the lab, Tyrone drawing up his four feet of height proudly. Doctor J paused at the doorframe and reached for the light switch, "Your brothers and sisters have been determined as a strain on resources. You will not see them anymore."

Tyrone's brow creased as he tried to understand his creator's words. Doctor J flicked the switch and the lab was coated in darkness.

"Most colonies orbit around the Earth or are stationed on the moon. However, in the past decades, mankind has decided to move beyond that. Instead of dragging asteroids to Earth for mining, temporary colonies have been set up on asteroids for this job to be more economical," the reporter was saying, her eyes cool and serious. Several images flashed on the screen, revealing a squalid lifestyle, where people were covered in soot and dust and the environment seemed to fall apart from within. "Mining colonies have become cesspools of disease and poverty, where people are trapped to work their entire lives under the rule of corporations because they are too poor to pay their way back to the civilized world. The temporary colonies often lack proper sanitation and oxygen recycling, and the corporations will not pay for better conditions.

"However," the anchorwoman arched her eyebrows theatrically, "the Deep Space Mafia runs the entire network of mining colonies behind the scenes, forcing citizens to pay for protection and pressuring the corporation leaders into doing what they wanted.

"Right now, an envoy from the colonies and Earth –headed by the newly reinstated and promoted Relena Darlian- is travelling to the mining colonies to discuss a solution to this horrible tragedy.

"Yesterday, a statement was sent to every major media company in the ESUN by the Mafia heads. It reads as follows: We are the underdogs of the ESUN. We are the people who pay the price for everyone's peace. It is time our voice is heard. It is time we are compensated for our pains. We have the right to live safely and comfortable. We have the right to educate our children and send them to seek a better future. Instead of acknowledging those rights, mining corporations repress them because without us, no one else would do this job. We will be heard, and we will use violence for our situation to be recognized.'"

The anchorwoman put down her paper and flashed the viewers a brilliant white smile, "In related news, an assassination attempt on the Foreign Minister's life was foiled by the notorious Heero Yuy, the brother of presidential nominee Ariel Yuy. More on that at eleven."


	11. The Cries of Children Fall Silent in the...

CHAPTER IX- The Cries of Children Fall Silent in the Blackness of Space

CHAPTER IX- The Cries of Children Fall Silent in the Blackness of Space

A/N: This was going to be longer, but I broke it in half so I could concentrate better on both parts. Please enjoy this morsel, and tell me what you think!

Heero looked up groggily, trying to identify his surroundings. He picked up a variety of sounds, and quickly singled out and identified them.

A low-pitched hum that peaked every three seconds. Class 4A Shuttle Engine for long range flights.

The familiar tap of fingers on keys and beeping of machinery muted by a curtain. A cockpit precisely 5.8 meters away.

The creak of an overstuffed seat below him. An expensive top of the line spacecraft.

And a delicate swish of cloth, as well as a rhythmic tap of shoes on metal plates. These sounds, as well as a very special scent, made him aware of his fellow passenger.

"Relena."

She must not have heard him. Carefully, he opened his eyes and tipped his head slightly. She was clutching her arms and pacing nervously, brow creased in nervous concentration and shoulders tensed. Her light hair had come loose of its bun.

She looked disorderly and unprofessional.

He finally coughed slightly to alert her to his presence. She looked up, startled, and then plastered on a fake smile, "Heero, you're awake."

He was not one to shy from the point, "What's wrong, Relena?"

She shrugged, "Nothing's wrong-"

"What is wrong?" his voice was commanding and dangerous. She vaguely remembered just how strong the man she faced was.

A year ago she would have called him a boy. She would have called herself a girl instead of a woman- immature, hopeful, and idealistic.

But it was not his age that gave him the title of man, nor hers the title of woman. It was perhaps the look in their eyes, or the way they both held themselves- passionate, thoughtful, and lonely.

Or maybe it was just the fact that they had both seen death and despair. Or maybe because they had both been manipulated and betrayed.

In our teenage years our eyes are opened to life, and that period of adolescence is the time when we try to break free from the cycles of life we are confronted with, and our adulthood is when we accept those truths as unchangeable.

Both of these people had seen life and accepted it, even if they were far too young for such a horrible burden. It was very unfair, for some people live their whole lives in blissful ignorance and die happily, while they realized it far too early for any person.

But that's what happens sometimes because life is cruel.

She sighed and broke her gaze away from him, "I need your help, Heero. Duo told me once you have excellent hacking skills-"

"He was not lying."

She looked up at him, as if his interruption disturbed her delicate train of thought, "You know about the Mafia, right?"

He nodded.

"My sources at Earth tell me that they were behind the attack. They don't want my interference because they want to control the mining colonies. It is said that they even run the mining companies." She took a shaky breath, shoving stray hairs from her face, "I need you to find out anything you can about them, who are their moles in the local governments are, any plans they have-"

He looked very focused, "I will do as you ask."

"My name is Commander Jour," the man at the podium announced. He was a strong man, with a thick waist and large hands, and it looked more as if he would snap the microphone under his large fingers rather than hold it, "and I am running for the Office of the President of the ESUN. As you all know, I am opposing Senator Wayridge for the nomination from the People's Unified Party. Senator Ariel Yuy is running unopposed as the candidate for the United World Political Party.

He looked across at the sea of people who were looking up at him, "I believe that we as a nation must protect ourselves. Revolution will only serve to destroy the precious peace that we have created. In the past four years, pacifism has been the proper way to rule the ESUN. However, this uprising needs to be crushed by stronger means. I believe in pacifism. We all do. But I also believe in self-preservation. Pacifism is not an excuse to step aside and allow thugs to poke fun at this beautiful federation that we have created. Pacifism is the ideal that no one should fight without a reason, but that we should protect ourselves when necessary.

"Didn't Relena Darlian-Peacecraft, the founder of this way of life, suggest the same in Brussels when Dekim Barton and Mariemeia Kushrenada had a coup d'état to gain control over the ESUN? It is with these thoughts in mind that I promoted the creation of the Eliminator Project.

"This project began many years ago, but it was canceled by Colonel Une after the Barton Scandal. We believed that it would no longer be necessary to have such a powerful weapon. When the skirmishes began throughout the mining colonies, I revived that project." The politician lifted a heavy hand to the screen behind him, where a sleek machine, much like an overturned spider, came into view. He smiled at the crowd and endured the flashes of cameras that twinkled and flickered like stars. "The Eliminator is piloted by highly trained specialists. Once inside, that person focuses the energy of the machine and sends that energy to a designated location.

"This weapon is not going to be used as a tool for domination. This weapon is a warning to all those who dare oppose our precious peace. No one will cross this line on my watch. We have achieved peace, and now we must protect it!"

The crowd erupted into cheers.

"A clever move." Ariel murmured, staring at her video screen and rubbing her thumb with her forefinger, "You are twisting Relena's ideals to gain control of an almighty weapon and also have deluded them into believing it's for their own good."

She grinned and switched off the television, "Very clever, my enemy, but I can do better than that."

The quiet cabin was filled with the sound of tapping keys on a computer. Relena had collapsed onto a chair and was staring out at the blackness of space as Heero typed frantically. It was an hour before he spoke again.

"Come here, Relena," he said, eyes never leaving the computer screen.

Curious, she straightened and walked over to him, undoing her hair with one hand and her shoes in another. He glanced at her from the side. She looked tired and determined. He knew there would be no convincing her to rest when she wore such an expression.

He brought up several windows on the screen, and scrolled hurriedly through the computer code.

"MC-4203 is considered one of the most important places for the Mafia," he began, bringing up a series of blueprints as he spoke, "Rumor has it that it is run by Duncan Sharpe, a famous hitman of the late Parvoti Stane, a man most people liked to call The Rock.'"

"How original."

Heero gave her an annoyed look, "Apparently, Parvoti is a little more idealistic than his predecessors. He wants to turn the mining colonies into his own private nation that he can rule over in the open. Other Mafia leaders don't like all of the publicity, but Parvoti is too powerful to go against. He's got connections in every major company and federal office in the entire ESUN."

"And I will be meeting with him on this insane trip?"

"Yes." Heero was angry at her, and it showed in his clipped tone. While online, he had thoroughly researched her reasons for joining the envoy, and was not happy with what he saw. Those stupid diplomats probably told her about the bad working conditions and starving children and she probably took up the job with open arms, forgetting about her reasons for withdrawing from the political arena.

She loved people far too much.

She had intercepted his unusually harsh glare and seemed wounded, "What is it?"

"You're sending the wrong signals, Relena." He stated.

She was, to say the least, very confused, "What do you mean?"

"You resigned from your job and yet you take it up again. You are confusing a great many people. The public believe in you, but you are constantly deceiving them."

She broke eye contact with him, "Do you really think so lowly of me?"

Heero stood up angrily, and the air grew tense in the expectation of an argument.

Before the conversation could escalate, the voice of the copilot interfered, "Miss Relena, there's a call for you, audio only. Do want to accept it?"

Heero glared at the man, ever attentive, "Did you ask who was calling?"

Relena looked at him pointedly, tucking her hair behind her ears and straightening her jacket, "Of course I'll take it."

She walked up the aisle to the far end of the cabin, where a small alcove was nestled beside a generator for her to receive private messages.

"Please state your purpose," the computer requested politely in a smooth and gentle tone. She sighed appreciatively. Sometimes it was nice to escape Heero's grating and threatening baritone.

"Intercept call for Relena Darlian."

"Receiving. Call origins: Mars surface, exact location indeterminable. Audio only."

The screen turned black and Relena smiled. This could only be one person, "Hello Milliardo."

"Good evening, Relena." She recognized her brother's voice instantly, and it soothed her in a way only the sound of a sibling's voice could, "I'm establishing a visual link." And then his face flickered into view, light blond hair falling into his eyes and piercing eyes seeking out her heart.

"It's good to see you again."

"Yes."

"Relena, I wanted to ask you something," he said, eyes boring into hers.

"Feel free to ask me anything," she gave him a sweet little sister smile that she knew would make him feel strong and comfortable. She sighed to herself. Perhaps she was a little_ too _good at understanding people.

He cleared his throat and cut straight to the point, "Why did you reaccept the position of Foreign Minister? Don't you know that you are going against what you said was right?"

She blinked back a few stubborn tears and forced herself to look relaxed, "Are you and Heero psychically linked?" she said cheerfully, laughing at his outrage, "He just asked me the same thing!"

Milliardo Peacecraft, otherwise known as Zechs Merquize, looked suddenly dangerous, "What is Yuy doing with you?"

Relena shrugged, "Don't tell me you aren't following the news. He just saved my life."

Relena's brother looked rather angry, "I respect Heero very much, my sister. He's courageous and pure but also not to be trusted! He's psychotic!" The man known as Zechs drew a deep breath, "There are some people who can't throw away the code of being a soldier. I can't. Heero can't."

His eyes implored her, "Relena, did he force you back into your job? I know he's always had this crazy idea that you are the bringer of peace or some other such nonsense-"

She shook her head, "Heero didn't force me into anything, but I swear to you I'm not doing this at my own free will."

"Relena-"

"I don't want to talk about it." The subject was quickly filed under 'unmentionable topics' in both of their minds.

He mumbled something angry, but the former queen of the world chose to ignore it, "Anyway, Relena, I was going over the candidates for this last election. Jour and Yuy are out of the question, and our current president has refused to run for reelection. That leaves only Wayridge as the best choice for peace."

She nodded. They often had these political discussions, "However, Wayridge isn't popular enough to win."

"Exactly. You should mention your support for him in one of your speeches."

The girl nodded knowingly, "I don't want to guide the people into anything, though. Their thoughts should be their own."

"Yes, Relena, but what other choice do you have? A crazy Marquis and former general or that snake of a senator?"

Relena rubbed her shoulder, avoiding the subject, "I'm going to rest now. There are a lot of things I need to think about." She reached for the 'terminate call' switch.

"Relena," Milliardo intervened, "watch yourself over there. The mob won't be pushed around eagerly."

"I will, my brother."

"I guess I feel somewhat reassured that that damned pilot is with you."

He was awarded a puzzled look. "Why?"

"Because Heero Yuy would sacrifice his life for you without a second thought."

The conversation ended, leaving Relena with many things to think about.

Milliardo Peacecraft sighed, stretched, and stood up, glancing over at the beautiful woman that stood in the doorway.

"Heero's right, though," Lucrezia Noin pointed out in a gentle tone, "She is the key to peace, the only link between Earth and the colonies."

The man who was considered dead sighed and switched off his computer, "I know. I know."

And a small shuttle docked at a rundown colony, where the occupants would meet an interesting reception.


	12. The Reception (an action chaper with a c...

CHAPTER X- The Reception

CHAPTER X- The Reception

A/N: Oooooo! Action chapter!

****

The boy was screaming. They had confined him in a room, and they would not relieve him of his pain. He had never known such torment. He had never felt such horrific pain.

He had never suffered withdrawal before.

His skin tingled and bruised when he touched it, and every hair on his scalp felt painful and distinct, like a million needles piercing his skull. He refused to acknowledge this pain, beating the wall until his hand became bloody. He could feel ever pulse, taste every breath.

Dying would have been a relief at this point.

He had dragged himself into a corner of the dingy chamber, weeping to himself.

When the door opened, he was beyond caring.

But Doctor J would fix that.

" Your emotions are too strong, 01. Sensitivity is not needed in the soul of a soldier."

The boy, perhaps no older than thirteen rocked back and forth dismally. Paying no heed to the man that stood before him.

"We have tried to erase these emotions, and still they continue to surface. I thought you'd have more control."

Forward, back, forward, back. The movement was so soothing, that the boy could not stop.

"You are suffering withdrawal, 01. Isn't it unpleasant? Don't you feel the dagger pain splintering your veins and making every pulse a drastic effort?"

Forward, back, forward, back.

"All that pain can end, child. I can spare you all of that pain."

A packet was thrown at his feet.

"You want, it, don't you? You can already feel it ravaging your body. Do you want it?"

He reached out for it. Doctor J covered it with a heavy boot.

"No relief until you do as we ask."

The boy began his rocking again, this time more vigorously.

The scientist reached down and picked up the bag, "Call me when you change your mind."

The door shut, engulfing the dark haired boy in black pain.

He screamed until his voice ran raw and he blacked out onto the floor of the cell.

Doctor J had won again.

The first thing that confronted Relena as she entered the colony was the incredible smell. Their shuttle was behind them, and the catwalk the had to walk across to the main hangar was rusted and rickety.

Heero kept a protective hand on Relena's elbow as he guided her across, eyes darting from side to side cautiously as a group of men in business suits smiled at them from across the scaffold.

Relena settled her shoulders, and Heero watched in awe as a transformation overtook the young woman, making her look cool, composed, and far older than what she really was.

He had hated her, then admired her, and now heloved her, he supposed.

And he was handing her over to wolves.

"Welcome to our humble colony, Foreign Minister Darlian," the leading man said in oily tones, his words thickly coated in miner's accent, so it sounded more like, 'Wel'yum ta our 'umble colonee, For-en Minista Darlian."

Relena dipped her head. She was standing on a potentially dangerous viaduct, her clothing was slightly rumpled, and she needed more sleep. But still, she looked like a queen.

"It is truly my honor to represent the ESUN in this matter. As Foreign Minister, it is my duty to ensure that relations between Earth and the colonies remain tranquil."

"They remain tranquil, Foreign Minister, because we are all bullied into saying nothing." Again his words were heavily accented.

They were different physically as well. While Heero and Relena were both lean figures, these businessmen were stocky and short, with broad muscles barely covered by the smooth lines of business suits.

Relena had opted for a more Western style of dress, and Heero remained stubbornly in jeans and a t-shirt. He remained behind the European girl, keeping a close eyes one all of the men in case they considered Relena a useful hostage for their cause.

"Please, Ms. Darlian, your guard can take your things to your lodging, and we can get you to the reception we have prepared in your honor."

She looked back at Heero apologetically, but he shook his head vigorously, "Where the Foreign Minister goes, I go."

The fierce gleam in his eyes killed all protest, and Relena realized what a political opportunity she had lost. When she got back to her hotel, she and Heero were going to exchange a few words.

Preferably with her yelling, and his apologizing. She had just lost her chance at bonding with these people and making herself seem equal.

__

Well, she decided, _the damage had been done. I'd better make it only minimal._

"I'm sorry, gentlemen, but my bodyguard is right. I need to freshen up some before I attend any public events. I understand our tight schedule, but I'm afraid teenage vanity has not yet loosened its grasp on me."

__

Please let them think I'm a fool. Please, please, PLEASE!

They nodded, and the leader spoke up, "In our excitement, we forgot your youth, Ms. Darlian."

__

Good. Ms. Darlian will soon degrade into Ms. Relena. It's not going to be so bad after all.

"I, Counselor Parvoti, would be proud to travel with you to the hotel." The leader said in his rich accent.

Heero was about to protest, but Relena dug her heel into his foot. It may not have hurt him, but it certainly got the message across: 'This is my playing field, and let me fight in it.'

Relena stepped forward and placed her hand in the crook of his arm, "It would be my pleasure."

She pretended not to feel sympathetic pain as she walked across the sooty streets, where children huddled in street corners and every other face was black with dust, and Heero followed angrily in her wake.

"Don't go, Relena." He was saying harshly, "Give me a minute to figure out what's wrong and let me-"

They were in the hotel, where the Foreign Minister was supposed to be freshening up. Heero had stormed into her room the minute Parvoti walked down and back to the lobby. The motel was really run down, and even Heero knew the sparsely furnished set of rooms the colony had provided were the best in the whole settlement.

Relena rounded on Heero, armed with a brush and a bottle of foundation cream. She had been leaning on the sink carefully applying her makeup in front of the mirror as Heero ranted on, leaning against the doorframe to the bathroom.

"Look, Heero, I happen to know a bit about politics, seeing as the last three years of my life have been centered on them!" she was furious, and she turned back to the mirror with an angry huff, smearing on the makeup and making little noises of anger and frustration. "I had an opportunity to actually connect with these people which would have made my job far easier."

"They're not people, Relena, they're potential threats!"

She slammed down the jar, fed up. Heero had never seen her so angry. Part of him was slightly nervous at what she would do while the other part somewhat eager to find out.

She was glaring at him, her eyes just as cold and angry as his. He supposed she must be irrational with rage right now, he mused idly, the small capillaries in her cheeks had sent forth a flush of anger, and her eyes were burning stars.

"You don't understand anything!" she shouted. To his surprise she tackled him, throwing her weight on him while he was off-guard (as he always was around her) so that even the genetically strengthened Heero Yuy fell backwards, tripping on her shoe and landing on the bed, with Relena still pounding on his chest.

He freed his arms and grabbed her angry fists, "I thought you were supposed to be a pacifist."

She sat back on him, "What was it that book, _The Power of Nonviolence_, said? Ah yes, 'Physical violence is a psychological form of relieving stress and anger and demoralizing your enemy.'" She grinned at him wickedly, "I'm merely relieving my burdens."

"Well, why don't you get off of me and relieve me of mine?" he asked gruffly. While she had forgotten what a position she had gotten them into, there was no way _he_ could, and even the strictest part of his soul agreed that he found her proximity unsettling- and not in an entirely bad way. He could smell the bed below them, clean and inviting. He could smell her soft, delicate scent that he wanted to drown in.

She at least had the grace to blush, even if it was only slightly. She shrugged and dragged herself off of him, touching her face carefully, "Ah, dammit, Heero, now I have to reapply my makeup!"

She got up and bent down for her shoes in a way that kept Heero seated for a few more minutes and then scampered off to the bathroom, trying desperately to ignore how fast her heart was beating.

"Ah, Foreign Minister, welcome to our reception hall." Parvoti said warmly as they entered the main building.

The hall was weathered and very bare, but at least it wasn't falling over, as were most of the other buildings. Relena smiled at him. She her dress was slightly more informal to try and equalize herself with the people, and she had chosen muted colors, so they would consider her slow and unimportant.

Like all good politicians, Relena knew how to screw with people's minds.

Even as she walked, she had shifted her shoulder slightly and allowed her eyes to adopt a duller sheen.

Only Heero, who knew Relena for who she truly was- perhaps even better than anyone else- was not deceived by the subtle body language. Already, the men were speaking to her with less of an accent and with broader gestures, an unconscious response to the signals she was carefully producing for them.

The silent bodyguard suppressed the urge to smirk.

"Why yes, I understand," Relena was saying, carefully tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "The conditions in which you live are horrible, and the ESUN should do something about it."

"Indeed they should," the diplomat was saying, and went on about his sister colonies and the atrocities they had seen with their own eyes.

Heero did not pay any attention to their words, only to the area. There were no threats and in their hotel rooms, their had been no tracking devices.

This was 'odd' with a capital 'O.'

One thing Heero Yuy hated was deception. He believed the best enemy should be forthright and open, a warrior who would gladly face his enemy and die broadly and openly.

Heero Yuy hated complications, but he accepted them. There was never an ideal opponent, only annoying assailants.

And that's when Heero remembered something. Relena had faced him with such pride and honor. That's why no opponent was brash and obvious- because then you start to feel compassion for them, as he did for the Foreign Minister whose back of head he was staring at as she walked in front of him with Parvoti.

Heero scowled. The reports he had read had led him to the conclusion that 'The Rock' was a deceptive man, always hiding behind mask upon mask-

"Heero, please wait here," Relena was saying, and her bodyguard was surprised to discover they had come to a halt.

He gave her a very understandable look.

She shook her head, "You're too flashy. I have a job to do."

Parvoti Stane gave them a questioning glance. Heero sighed and nodded. Relena grinned.

The two entered, and a serving boy scurried out, a thin, balding man with thick black eyebrows and deep, intelligent eyes. Heero and the servant exchanging a cool, intelligent glance, before the bald one hurried off, olive colored skin glistening in the light of sodium lamps.

And then the pieces fell into place.

Heero ran in, and pulled Relena out of the chair she was about to sit in.

"Heero-" was all she had time to say before he threw her out into the corridor and onto the floor, protecting her with his body as the reception room exploded with a horrifying roar. Flames burst out of the heavy double doors, licking the carpet and scorching the air around them. Heero held Relena close.

Twice in one day he had gotten to hold her.

This was one lucky day.

He looked back to the steadily burning room.

Then again, maybe not.


	13. Swan Song (a bit of thoughts and a new i...

CHAPTER XI-Swan Song

CHAPTER XI-Swan Song

"I thought Relena Peacecraft-Darlian had retired," came a warm, careful voice.

The committee room was small and cramped, with plaster peeling from the wall and mahogany chairs groaning under the excess adipose of overfed partisans.

Senator Wayridge stood, straight backed and proud before the people it had taken him a week to track down.

After mulling through loads of political red tape and dead ends, he had found the commission that could be directly traced for reinstalling Relena.

They did not scare him. Once, as a Marquis, he had stood up and exclaimed his support of the just instated Queen Relena without a care for the consequences. Now as he looked at the faces before him, and recalled the appearances of the politicians of OZ, he could not find a different behind them.

These people had so many skeletons in their closets, that they had anthropologists lined up to study their wardrobe.

And he wondered where those ideals everyone had fought for had gone.

Senator Ishito shrugged grimly, yanking on his tie in the stuffy room. The ESUN's main office in Geneva, Switzerland, was not large enough for all that was required of it, and most committees met in an assortment of such hell holes. Most of these dank, humid pockets of plaster and wood were considered merely a preview of things to come for their occupants in the afterlife, according to a great deal of the public.

"Relena gladly volunteered for the job," the senator finally replied, "Senator Wayridge, please don't tell me that you didn't know how serious things were getting with the Outer Colonies. The newest line of Preventer cruisers have had to be delayed again due to lack of supplies. We need production and we need it now."

Senator Wayridge slammed a hand down on the nearest table (actually there was only one because it was a rather large one, made of oak wood, and it managed to fit everyone comfortably. Besides, there wasn't enough room for any other furniture. In fact, it was an incredible achievement that they got Senator Wayridge in without knocking in a wall).

"The Vice -I mean, the _Foreign Minister_- was trying to send a message to the people. What are you doing? What are you planning?"

There was the scratching sound of pencils and a shifting of feet. It was always fat old men who shifted their feet that changed the world for the worst. That was one thing Senator Wayridge knew for a fact.

"We plan nothing, Darrell. The Foreign Minister is merely lending a helping hand." The Chair said apathetically, "What are you implying?"

"I'm implying, Chair Deputy Leader," Wayridge said in a careful drawl, "That you are trying to claim Relena's eventual victory over these miners as your own. I'm implying that you are all lying, thieving cowards who want to put Ariel Yuy in office so you can get what you want! I'm implying that you have forgotten the ideals that brought you where you are today! It's not all about power! It's about peace!"

Senator Ishito leaned forward, his graying Asian features drawn into a scowl of contempt, "Don't start talking like a martyr, Senator Wayridge, or you'll soon become one." He waved his hand at the man before he could speak again, "Please calm yourself, senator. You are acting like a baby who lost its teddy bear."

The senator shook his head, "I am acting like a man who lost his faith in his peers."

Senator Wayridge walked out with the final word.

And a bit of plaster peeled on the wall and curled up on the floor.

Relena's face was covered with soot, and her European features were contorted with fury. Heero speculated if maybe it was safe to get off of her now.

"Heero," she hissed. He realized his weight must have made it very difficult to breathe. "Get. Off. Of. Me. NOW!"

He hastily complied. His fascination for Relena's erratic moments of anger was beginning to grow. Maybe she'd attack him like last time- or maybe she'd try to steal his gun to kill him.

She sat up, strangely composed, brushing the black dust off of her jacket and face, but not succeeding very well. In fact, she was only making it worse. He reached out to help her, but she put up a hand, "Don't interrupt me now, I'm thinking."

She pushed back her hair with careful and hands, took a few deep breaths (all of which were exhaled with a cough, and then turned to survey the damage. Fire crews had already extinguished the small remains of the fire (for flames ate up the colony's precious oxygen supply and had to be controlled almost immediately). The first colony lifted into space had had a fire that killed all its occupants, or so the text books said, and since then, such precautionary measures had been installed in every colony.

However, Relena couldn't help noticing how slow this colony was compared to the others she had visited, and how men had had to put out the fire themselves, for there had been no flame retardant sprinklers installed in the building.

She grinned suddenly, "Heero," she asked with her back to him, "did we bring camera equipment along with us?"

"Yes, I believe."

"Good. Very good." She said confidently, and she turned to face him, her eyes shining with the brilliance of an idea sparkling in her mind, "Well, could you find it for me?"

"Sure."

"And afterwards, I want you to call up every major media company in the ESUN."

Heero scowled, "If you're planning what I think you're planning, I'm going to have to refuse. Didn't the bombing prove anything to you? The miners may want help, but the Mob doesn't. They want to make sure no one tries to improve this area because then they'll lose control. The ESUN never wanted to change anything until the election came up, and you know that. Jour is planning something, and I think Ariel wants to ride out her victory by supporting you here. If you help them, you hand my sister the presidency on a silver platter!"

Relena frowned, "What do you mean?"

"She told me that you were going to be attacked. My saving you has made people like her more for being related to me. Her standing in the polls has shot up."

Relena's eyes were wide and nervous for a moment, but they settled back to determined and angry very quickly.

"We don't have a choice, Heero. I didn't fight for peace for this to happen again."

"Mr. Stane, sir," the man said cautiously, "We didn't succeed in killing the Foreign Minister."

A small, balding man stroked his chin thoughtfully, "Her bodyguard is very competent, and thanks to him we lost twenty good men in that accident and didn't even achieve our objective."

"He was a Gundam pilot, boss," the man said, quivering, "He could kill fifty men in five minutes without effort. I was caught in that battle when the Sanc Kingdom dissolved its borders. He fought like a madman." The man held up his stump of an arm, "I lost half my arm thanks to him."

"You don't like him, do you, Paolo?"

"No, sir."

"Very good, vengefulness is an excellent emotion. We won't go down without a fight, and both of them won't live long enough to do any more to help."

When the Mafia chose a target, they would pursue it until the last of them died.

"This is our business enterprise."


	14. The Dark Hours (limey at end!)

CHAPTER 14- The Dark Hours

CHAPTER 14- The Dark Hours

A/N: WARNING.Limey at the end. I know that many of you have been pleased that this series have been very clean of sex, but at this point, it was necessary for the story. I tried to keep it very tasteful and is NOT in any way explicit. I found it important to the plot and the growth of the characters, gomen ne!

Also, I wanted to thank all of you have been reviewing so consistently and not being afraid to tell me what you think. You guys rule!

~Moonkitty

"Tyrone?"

The small boy pulled off the thin blanket that smothered him and turned to her right, flipping partly onto his stomach, facing the other child that was lying on the cot beside him.

"What is it, Latka?"

"What's it like?"

"What do you mean?"

"What's it like in the Machine?" Latka whimpered, "They test me in it tomorrow."

"It's okay. Just let your mind focus on other things." Tyrone said bravely, "My parents were on Lx436 during the hostage situation last year. The Mob killed them along with sixty others when the ESUN refused to negotiate," the boy whispered in the darkness, "So when I control the Machine, I think about their faces as they were being killed, and how wonderful it will feel to avenge them. As long as you have a reason to fight, you know you'll survive, 'cos you can't die until you beat your enemy. If helping Doctor J helps me avenge my parents, I'll risk being torn to bits."

The other boy was silent for a while, "I think I understand."

"Then you'll have nothing to worry about."

"My name is Relena Darlian, and I have been sent as an envoy to represent the ESUN to observe the conditions the mining colonies have been subjected to. I am also supposed to discuss the recent terrorist threats of many organizations within the colonies." Her voice was clear, her expression cool and composed, "My duty was to 'find a solution.' But this, loosely translated into political terms, means to protect the interests of the companies that make rather large campaign contributions to my party."

A poor television station supervisor turned to his attendant, who was pressing buttons frantically.

"Turn this off! What happened to our regularly scheduled programs?"

The attendant looked like he was close to tears, "I don't know, sir! The signal's too strong!"

"I'm awfully sorry for interrupting your TV shows, people of ESUN, but I didn't really have a choice. This information will not be brought to your attention in any other way. Many of you have no idea what a mining colony looks like. Let me show you."

The camera followed Relena's delicate figure. She was dressed in a conservative black number that was rather informal.

Still, it could not hide the elegant lines of her body or the regal way with which she carried herself. She crouched beside several children, all of whom were moaning with swollen bellies and wide, hunger-laden eyes.

There were men and woman as well, most half bent and coughing from the dust and inadequate protection. Some moaning like dogs with pain from diseases and others walking along absently, feeling the rocks beside them or staring at Relena with a blank, disease-ravaged intelligence.

Many of the young teenage ones shouted complaints. Some carried posters.

But it was the middle-aged ones who were the most moving.

They simply walked as if they still had stones burdening them, their work thickened muscles coated with permanently stained skin, and the pained terror in their eyes that showed that they were close to death.

Relena looked kept walking, to the mining shafts, to the factories, and the camera continued to follow, jarring in a nauseating motion with ever step of the cameramen.

Finally, Relena stopped, "The ESUN wants me to stop the terrorism. The Mafia here wants to keep it in place so that they may continue to rule in tyranny. The presidential candidates want to twist this to their benefit.

"But who, my good fellow citizens, who out of the lot of them cares about the people? You have seen how bad things really are. Now you must decide for yourselves the action we should take to stop this problem. Each person can make a difference, but remember this, a nonviolent solution will take longer to achieve, but will always have more lasting results.

"We created peace three years ago not out of tiredness of war, but out of the common agreement that peace was better! Violence is only vengeance glorified. Decide the path that you prefer and complain! My orders come from the ESUN, and if I resign, I am powerless. Make the ESUN change their decision to make me hammer out a pact with terrorists. Let me help the people. Let me save the children."

And any threats Relena had against her life just tripled.

Ariel Yuy cocked her head as she watched Relena's procession. She had made a good decision to use the Foreign Minister to get herself into the presidential office.

Jour scowled over his next move.

Wayridge was pensive.

Relena buried her face in Heero's woolen sweater as he put down the camera. He loped one arm around her shoulders, feeling her quake against him.

"It had to be done, didn't it?"

"You had to manipulate them. It was your only option."

"What are we going to do, Heero? They'll all want me dead. I won't be able to help dead."

She lifted her tear-streaked face to his, her eyes pleading with him to let her draw strength from him, which of course he gladly gave.

"I won't let anything happen to you."

She sighed and settled her shoulders, taking the world's problems on her shoulders once more. Heero found himself resenting her. Couldn't she allow the ESUN to run without her? Why did she have to blame herself for every bad thing that happened? Why did she always close herself away in pain in solitude?

Senator Ariel Yuy put down her morning paper. It was full of news of hunger strikes, work strikes, letter-writing campaigns, and petitions. She didn't exactly enjoy nonviolent movements, they always seemed slightly too cultish for her tastes.

Still, it proved one thing.

Relena had become a master at using her people.

Ariel closed her tawny eyes and imagined victory within her grasp. It would only be a short while now before she would get the most respected job available.

It as dark, but there were only a few hours until day would return. Heero had settled himself at Relena's bedside, well aware that almost everyone on the mining colonies wanted nothing more than to kill her. He never believed in putting his time to ill-use.

He could have been doing a million other things, but he found his hands reaching for a sketch book and paper, and he had settled himself down to draw Relena's sleeping face.

They were in the shuttle that they had docked onto the colony with, and Heero had encoded all of the safety mechanisms a thousand times, making sure there was no way the colony could auto eject the spacecraft until _he_ decided to. These few moments were the calm before the storm, and the soldier in Heero knew that things would get ugly real soon.

But during those few dark hours, it really didn't matter. She frowned as he examined her face. Portraits did not just mean technical precision. To create the perfect portrait one had to exaggerate slightly, with perhaps the shapes of the nose or the shade of the lip. It was not distortion to create a travesty, but to define a personality.

It was very intimate and personal to be allowed to stare at someone's face, to hungrily devour every curve, every nuance of the subject's features.

He would have felt embarrassed if he had been looking at anyone else, but Relena was always different in that respect.

First, there came a rough outline, then the definition of features. He shaded carefully and lightly, constantly aware of the scratching sound his pencil made on the rough paper.

His palms sweated from the crouched position of his hand.

He rubbed them on his pants and continued to work.

When he was done at last, he admired his handiwork. It was by no means perfect, but it was clearly obvious who it was. It was, however, a sad face, marked by pain and doubt.

Now that he understood the contours of her flesh, he drew her again in a different pose, with eyes open and a smile tugging her lips. He liked the smiling one better.

And then, the unexpected happened.

Relena opened her soft, gentle eyes.

They remained that way for a moment. Her weary face was pale in the small amount of light that streamed in from the port outside. She in turn, looked at him, at his dark eyes and mysterious expression.

"Heero."

"Yes?"

The questions had already been asked in that brief moment. Their hearts lay bare before each other.

"Lay with me, if only for tonight." She said softly, a gentle request that could easily be denied or accepted, and he was comforted by the knowledge that she would not weep over his reply. She felt the urge to continue, "I won't manipulate you. Just, if you can, could you please help me make something beautiful? The world has become ugly in my eyes. You always give me so much strength."

And that night he gave himself to her, and her unto him, bestowing upon each other the sweet burden of their hearts, their souls, and their bodies.

They whispered the words that were only dared in dark hours such as these, when life itself seems to hover on the edge of the pit of oblivion. The did not speak aloud or cry out in passion, only murmured, not daring to intrude upon the quiet stillness of the night, and knowing fully that when the alarm rang, the magic would end, and harsh reality was all that remained to face them.


	15. Reality

CHAPTER XV- Reality

CHAPTER XV- Reality

"Ms. Darlain," the voice was sour and bitter, but Relena did not flinch, "We are wondering if you are not accurately representing the ESUN."

Relena smiled tightening the rope of her robe grimly, "I am not representing the ESUN, I am representing the truth."

Senator Jour, chair of the Outer Colony Affairs Committee, smiled, "You were not hired to represent the truth."

"I was not hired at all."

"You'd better take care to remember that then, or your career will be shattered, and everything you hold dear to you will die."

The discussion ended and Relena sighed, rubbing her temples with careful fingers, "God, Heero, I don't know what I'm going to do."

Heero Yuy was already dressed and checking up on the ship, "Our pilot left us last night. He was probably paid off by the mob anyway."

Heero was actually rather proud of himself. He had set the lock last night to let anyone out- but no one back in. The pilot, being completely unaware of this, had left the moment Heero had retired behind a privacy screen to his cot. When the traitor had returned with gas to kill them both easily, he found that every way in had been tightly sealed.

She turned to him and smiled. He found himself losing his train of thought.

"Thank you, Heero, for last night. I don't know if-"

The vidcom rang again. Heero kept his guarded eyes focused on her. His expression was unreadable as he brought up the viewscreen and accepted the call for Relena, who was still staring at him. A disgruntled face appeared on screen, startling them out of their own private microcosm. Heero instantly recognized the servant from the hall right before it exploded.

"Foreign Minister," he said harshly, "I thought you would like to know that we have taken twenty hostages. I will kill a hostage every ten minutes until you leave. If you I run out of hostages I'll get more. Do you understand?"

Relena shook her head, "Wait! Let's talk about this!"

He smiled, "There is nothing to talk about. Those are the facts."

He terminated the link.

She turned to her companion, "Did you trace the call?"

"Yes, the encryption was easy to break," Heero replied from the computer.

His eyes drank in the sight of her. Last night, oh, last night, that beautiful angel had given herself to his arms and drowned her pain and his in desire.

He had made sure it was beautiful, or as close to it as he could manage -for they had been both clumsy and overeager- but the sensitivity they had showed to each other had made it all worthwhile.

But now day had come, and again they had to expose themselves to the suffering that came with the harsh realities of the day. He anticipated her need and wrapped his arms around her.

"I have ten minutes to call the ESUN," she whispered into his shirt. He nodded and broke the embrace.

After several moments of heated discussion, Relena ended up where she had begun- absolutely nowhere.

"Ms. Dorlian, no offense, but we are in a hostage situation. A temporary retreat-"

Relena shook her head, "The Reconstruction Act _I_ helped write two months ago clearly stated that the ESUN would _not_ appease terrorists!"

"Ms. Dorlian, you are no longer needed," Senator Jour was saying, "We have back up methods that will deal with the problem quickly and effectively. You are to get to precisely forty space-clicks away from the colony ASAP."

Relena leaned forward and slammed a hand on the counsel, "What back up methods?!"

"We don't have long now, Ms. Darlian, please follow our instructions," the senator hissed, "You are mistaking this for a discussion._ It is not. _You are assuming we are equals." he trained his eyes on hers, "_ We are not. _You are at a disadvantage. Back down or pay the consequences!"

Relena had no choice. The safety of herself, her brother, and her brother's lover was on the line. Aiding and abating a traitor was punished with a memory wipe. Treason was paid for with life.

Relena severed the link and looked up at Heero's questioning face. She traced soft fingers over his cheek and her eyes told him how much she needed him at that moment, "I think we're leaving, Heero."

He nodded coldly and turned to the cockpit.

Senator Wayridge walked quickly through the twisted halls of the Geneva House of Commons, for his sources had informed him that the Outer Colony Affairs Committeeroom would be the place to be during the crisis.

Sources had told him

No, that could not be possible.

He shoved his way into the room. Senator Jour was standing up before an assortment of camera crews.

"What we have right now is a problem," Jour was saying, "But this problem is more like a festering wound. We can cover it with a bandage, but that won't stop the infection from spreading," his eyes were hard and resolute, "The only way to get rid of the infection is to get rid of the wound!

"Ladies and gentlemen of all of the colonies and the entire world, we of the Outer Colony Affairs Committee have been working with a branch of the Preventers to create a revolutionary new weapon. This machine eliminates problems and makes the world a safer place for the world.

"In the process, it sacrifices lives, but isn't lasting peace worth a few lives? Isn't that what Relena taught us? We are enforcing the law, not rising above it." Senator Jour retained his grim composure as he leaned on the recently carted in podium, "Terrorists have threatened the colony in which Foreign Minister Relena Darlian was attempting peace talks. A message must be sent off to any and all people who threaten the ESUN. We are putting our foot down and saying 'no' to the hate. We are saying 'no' to the threats. We refuse to sacrifice the ideals of the entire ESUN for a dirty and greedy Mafia."

A little boy named Latka entered a machine. It scared him. He felt his consciousness scatter throughout the depths of space, towards the stars, the planets, and the horrible darkness between them. The machinery with which he was connected with helped him focus his suddenly vast intellect to a narrow point- to a small colony on the surface of an asteroid.

It was like he was trying to find a single thread on a tapestry and hold it in his mind without looking at anything else.

He had it. He let loose the energy that was being fed into him, but it was too much. The young boy felt like he was being torn apart.

And then there was nothingness.

Relena stared out the cockpit window as she watched the colony she had stayed on suddenly disappear.

She let out a scream of despair.

Heero threaded his fingers in hers and narrowed his eyes. Only one person could be capable of this disaster.

"Relena," he said hoarsely, "I have to go find someone."

She nodded, "I have business on L4. I understand what you have to do, and now I have matters of my own to deal with."

He looked hopeless, so she turned to him and kissed him softly and delicately, "We can resolve this together, Heero, I know it. If a weapon this incredible exists, the others are going to fear or want it. We have to kill this now. I wish"she trailed off.

His eyes were angry and cold, but they softened under her touch, "I know. I wish for it as well, but the world has always meant more to both of us."

She smiled, "Yes." she rubbed her cheeks to make the tears that had escaped disappear, "Will you drop me off on your way?"

"What will you do there?"

"I need to see-"

"-Quatre Winner is unavailable right now," a recorded voice was saying, "Please leave a message and he will return your call."

"Shit!" Relena hissed. She looked up at Heero furiously, "He's not responding and we're less than an hour away from L4."

They were sitting in the cockpit, Heero in the pilot's chair, Relena in the copilot's. Charts and graphs and computers were all of the room. Heero was punching in numbers easily. Three dimensional navigation was very difficult but Heero, like all of the other Gundam pilots, had mastered it at any early age.

He leaned over and tapped in a couple of numbers, "This is a special emergency frequency we agreed upon using after the destruction of Libra in A.C. 195."

"Will Quatre remember it?"

Heero shrugged.

A blond head flickered on screen, "Heero! Relena! What's wrong?"

Apparently so.

Relena took charge, "Quatre, we have an emergency going on between the outer colonies and the ESUN. You own an asteroid mining company, right?"

"Yes," the boy replied.

"Well, I need to talk to you right away. It's rather important. Can you cancel your meetings today?"

The former Gundam pilot nodded grimly, "I know what you're talking about, Relena, I just saw the news."

"Good. I need you to get an agreement with the mining companies. Heero is going to take care of this weapon Senator Jour helped create. We'll kill this now before it becomes full-blown panic."

The friends turned lovers parted silently as the world decided once again to separate them.

Heero Yuy knew many frequencies. Doctor J had been in constant contact with Heero during the war in A.C. 195. A computer counsel could be set up to receive certain frequencies instead of just calls. The frequencies made the caller speak only to those who could receive. It was harder to tap, easier to send through space, and hopefully, Doctor J remembered to keep the link open.

Heero never thought he'd be relieved to see that grizzly face appear on his screen.

"Heero!" the man exclaimed, "How goes your life?"

That was it. He had a fix on where the receiving signal was originating.

"I'm coming for you," he growled to the screen, "I'm coming for you."

He fired his last set of booster engines and sent the shuttle careening back into deep space.

If Doctor J had the capacity to believe that his former pupil could turn on him, he would have been very, very afraid.

A/N: The next chapter will be the last chapter, however it's going to be quite long. 'Rehab' didn't turn out to be as good as I wanted it to be, and I'm considering not doing the third and final installment. What do you think? What you think is actually rather important, because if not, I'll have to give 'Rehab' a more resolute ending and use my idea for the third book on a different story. I don't like asking for reviews, but right now I need opinions. Arigatougozimasu!


	16. One Death

CHAPTER 16- One Death

CHAPTER XVI- One Death

A/N: This is itthe final chapter. It took a LOT of caffeine to write this.

Relena was seated composedly at Quatre's desk, her blue-green eyes focused on the blond Arabian boy with an intensity that reminded the young businessman of a certain suicidal pilot. She carried herself differently than she had before, with more confidence and certainty, but sadness glittered in her eyes and she sat poised like a statue.

He broke the stony silence by pouring them both a cup of tea.

"How are you, Relena?" he asked carefully. He had a deep respect for this woman, and if he Trowa hadn't been so kind or Heero so possessive, he might have been tempted to try his luck at winning her heart.

"Not very good, old friend," she took a deep breath, "But I didn't come here to reminisce."

"I know.'

"Quatre, you and I both know who has been controlling the ESUN from the beginning. I believe your corporation has more hold over the senate than the president."

He arched an eyebrow, "My father was very generous in campaign contributions."

Relena nodded, "The Mafia has been infiltrating the mining corporations for years. Not even Winner Industries is uncorrupt."

Quatre sighed and put down his cup, "Don't I know it."

"However, the center force of the Mafia has just been destroyed-"

"By highly unorthodox means," Quatre interceded.

"Indeed, however, they will fall now in a matter of weeks. Senator Jour has just lost his bid for the election." Relena looked out of the window, "Remember how it was before, Quatre? We didn't have to worry about consequences or opinions, just the truth. 'Right' and 'wrong' was black and white then. Now everything I see is gray," she took a sip of her tea and almost spat it out. Quatre had veryinteresting tastes, "I didn't come here to philosophize, my friend. What I came here to say was that I need you to pull in your favors."

"Relena-sama!" he said formally, "That goes against everything-"

"I know."

Her eyes were cold and distant.

"I know."

And slowly she explained her desperate plan.

And he understood and agreed with what had to be done.

He understood, but it still hurt like hell.

A composed young man pressed a few buttons on his dilapidated shuttle's main panel, raising the engine output to the maximum speed. He neared an abandoned colony on an abandoned asteroid, maneuvering the spacecraft into the nearest shuttle bay.

The facility that he was arriving at was not the same one at which he had been trained, but it had the same feel, the look of barren calculation and keen intelligence. The memories that were barraging his mind were constant and painful, and adrenaline surged through his body.

"Unidentified shuttle, what are you doing?"

There was silence.

"Unidentified shuttle, we have children down here-"

Children?

Had that crazy old man once again twisted the lives of children for his own means?

He opened the link, "Acknowledged," he looked down to the space control officer, the picture of burning menace, "I will not hurt anyone as long as they don't get in my way."

The man who had the great misfortune to witness this passion would have nightmares for the rest of his life. However, Relena Darlian was looking out the window of yet another transport at that moment with exactly the same degree of emotion, and if the stars had eyes, they would probably have had been trembling.

But stars did not have emotions. Nothing seemed to have emotion anymore.

Heero departed from the shuttle armed with the reserve gun cache located in a small panel by the cockpit. The guns were not for show. He was read y to kill to stop the monstrosity Doctor J had once again created.

There were a couple of nervous soldiers by the door, holding the guns in their hands as if they had no clue how to use them.

Fear was man's first weapon against the darkness.

He moved forward. They stood their ground.

Doctor J had never tolerated cowards.

But they did not fire. Heero Yuy had that effect on people.

Six clean shots were all it took to fell them, all minor wounds that would not kill them.

Heero Yuy had made a promise.

A promise was all that was keeping him from tearing them apart and littering the pristine floors with their mutilated remains.

He did not do such a barbaric thing, but his fury was so great that it shone in his eyes.

He discharged the magazine on the gun and refilled it with another.

Doctor J had dared to twist the lives of children once again. Like the insane piper from the old fairytales who had enchanted the children away from the city, like a puppeteer using human marionettes.

Heero Yuy could have stopped this diplomatically, perhaps even had Doctor J arrested.

But Heero Yuy only knew violence. He was familiar with it. He knew how to work a violent situation to his advantage. He couldn't do that with words.

So he moved on, moved deeper into the hellish perfection of the base to the inner sanctum where Doctor J would remain.

Doctor J wasn't a coward either.

He was just overly devoted to his cause.

So Heero was not surprised when he found that man, twisted and warped by machinery and by his own deformed body, leaning over a counsel, typing.

"You couldn't kill me then, and you can't kill me now." He said calmly, bringing a cup of cold coffee to his lips. He said the words in Japanese, the tones graceful and flowing even for such ugly words, even when they came out of such ugly lips.

"How did you use the children?" Heero growled, lifting his newly loaded gun to the man's face.

"Put that away. I made you what you are today."

There was no reply.

"Odin Lowe did not mean anything to you. He killed your family. I shaped you into the man that saved the world and the colonies. I made you into the man that Relena Peacecraft fell in love with."

"Darlian." He spat. "Her name is Relena Darlian."

"Ah, yes. I could never get rid of the considerate part of your personality," he taped a few keys on the keyboard and brought up a new file, "which is what made you so perfect."

"Shut up, old man, and show me what I came to see."

"The Machine," he said motioning to the screen with a fake limb, "I'm surprised you didn't find out earlier. You must have been too busy protecting your girlfriend."

"Among other things."

"Yes," Doctor J said mockingly, "Heero Yuy tried to forget war."

For the first time, the man turned to his former protegee, "And that was where you finally made a mistake. War is in your blood, Heero, and, like the drugs I addicted you too, you can't escape it. Violence is the solution to your problems, and I had to make you that way for the good of the colonies."

Fury overtook his senses, ironically proving Doctor J right. He shoved the elderly cripple up against the wall, dropping the gun as he held up the man with his two hands.

"You did it for the good of yourself! You think you are justified to use people because you can't do the job yourself! You wanted to make an impact on the world, but you couldn't do that alone! You needed someone to do that for you!" Heero was letting his emotions run rampant. Yasuo would have been very pleased, "You had me so drugged up, I was desperate! You fucked with my DNAthe only thing a person can claim to be theirs and theirs only!"

"Yes, and I should have known to alter the mitochondrial DNA as well to allow for best energy use, but I didn't think of it. Besides, then you wouldn't have been identifiable to anyone."

Heero dropped the man, "How dare you?" He reached down and picked up his gun, "Where are the children?"

Doctor J looked up. He couldn't understand Heero. He wouldn't. It was not comprehendible to a man who had always been certain he was correct.

Doctor J looked up from his position on the floor where Heero had dropped him. There would be no reasoning with the former Gundam pilot now, "There's only one left. Only one who could withstand the Machine-"

He pressed the gun to Doctor J's head, "Where?"

"Three levels down. Room 4032."

He looked up at the boy, almost sneering, "Would you kill me now?"

Heero Yuy sat up, "I don't need to make your heart stop beating to kill you."

"What do you mean?"

"I can let you live."

Doctor J was silent.

Heero's brow creased with confusion, "Good-bye."

"Wait!" the old man screamed

Heero turned on his heel and walked out.

"Wait-"

The door slid shut, but Heero Yuy waited outside until he heard the sound of a gunshot. Doctor J had taken his own life with the pocket revolver he always kept in his inner pocket.

And Heero Yuy had expected it.

This had been his revenge. He was supposed to be pleased. He found it odd to discover he was not.

Doctor J could never erase the caring side of Heero Yuy.

That's what had made him different.

An anchorwoman was staring at the camera, her expression grave. After the witty accidental music ended, she drew a breath to speak to her rapt listeners, "And the world is reeling with shock today as Senator Jour was arrested for abusing three human rights acts and for concealing facts from the ESUN and the public. The expected verdict will be an entire life memory wipe, but the trial will begin next month.

"In election news, the arrest of Senator Jour leaves two very talented candidates for the presidency, Senator Ariel Yuy and Senator Darrell Wayridge. They are practically tied in the polls, and these final days to Election Day will be the most decisive.

"In further news regarding Senator Jour's atrocious action, Candles were lit all over the large colonies and major Earth cities to remember the dead. Here in Geneva the road to the House of Commons was lined with flowers in commemoration of the innocent people who died on Mining Colony 4203.

"Blueprints and the locations of Senator Jour's weapons were located in his office, and a team of Preventers are en route right now to apprehend the base. Our prayers go out to them."

The anchorwoman was of African descent. Her dark skin and hair glowed under the TV bulbs.

"Meanwhile, a bill has been rushed to the Senate house for review. This piece of legislation will outline strict regulations for mining corporations, making healthcare and the right to a union official law. While this bill is very liberal and expensive, many of the more conservative senators are actually voicing their approval to it, a beautiful fact that tells us maybe we are really trying to work together for the betterment of humankind.

The anchorwoman suddenly smiled. It was not a made-for-TV smile or a small grin, it was a full-blown sign of enthusiasm. She paused before she went on, "Thankfully, Foreign Minister Relena Darlian has been found and appears quite fine. She says that she had been deeply disturbed by the event and that, now that the crisis has ended, she will be retiring yet again from office."

The anchorwoman stopped then, and a slight frown crossed her face as she pressed a well-manicured finger to her ear-piece, "News just in, ladies and gentlemen, the preventers have found Senator Jour's weapon. It has been reported disconnected and the guards unconscious- none of them in critical condition. Unfortunately, the chief scientist in charge of the operation was found dead, and the preventers are considering it a suicide death. Two survivors were found, Mr. Heero Yuy, sister to Senator Ariel Yuy and the one responsible to taking down the base, and a young unidentified boy. They will both be hospitalized for trauma.

"I repeat-"

The woman watching the program flipped channels to a stand up comedy show.

"That Relena! First she's in office, then she's out of office, and then she's back in again! Will somebody please shake this girl and tell her that insane mood swings are for high school, not for politics?"

She turned it off in disgust. Relena Darlian stood up, bones cracking, and walked to the kitchen sink to throw away the remains of her dinner. The people would never know how many senators were bribed for that bill to go to congress, or that it could never have been done without Senator Jour's act of violence. At least Heero was safe

A familiar beeping sound filled the hall of her apartment in Geneva, and the finally politically retired Relena Darlian sighed. The crisis had ended, so there should be no reason to blackmail her, right?

She was not expecting the face of her brother. His icy blue eyes were blazing, and his hair was mussed.

"Milliardo, did you hear the news?"

He nodded, "And what's more, Ariel's ratings have just gone through the roof. Her brother just protected the world again. At this rate, she gets the presidency."

Relena sat down, all business once more, "Should I voice my support of Wayridge?"

"No, it's too late. Just being vocal in your support won't be enough this close to Election Day, and the vice president has already been chosen, so you can't run." Milliardo drew a deep breath, "I see only one way to draw attention back to Wayridge. You're an excellent actress, my sister, and I think you can pull it off. Relena, I know this means deceiving a lot of people and I know that youwell, won't be very happy, but you did say that you would do anything for your people-"

When he had finished, Relena was crying, "Not thatnot that.."

Milliardo leaned forward, "Which is more important to you? Your happiness or your people's?"

**__**

--Several Weeks Later--

The lights were flickering in the corridor, casting a soft yellow glow on the red interior of the passage. Relena stepped out into the hall with her gentle footsteps, and Heero froze at her approach. He turned his back to her, staring at the embroidered carpet.

"Hello, Lady Wayridge," He said formally, placing the barrier between them so that he would not forget who she had become.

There was a choking sound behind him, and he knew she was holding back tears, "Heero, don't do this."

"I have accepted a position with the preventers in L1," He said coldly, "and have gained guardianship of Tyrone. I finally have a life waiting for me."

"Heero, I had no idea they were planning this. What was I supposed to do?" she wasn't holding back the tears anymore. He glanced back at her and saw them cascade down her cheeks. He forgot the formal hairstyle and the elegant brocade of her gown. For that one moment she was just a girl and he was just a boy. It hurt too much. She took a deep breath, "I'm still young, Heero. We're both only eighteen. President Wayridge ismy husband is far older. I will one day be a widow."

Heero turned and glared at her, "How could you even think about that?"

She sighed, trembling with pent up emotion, "I need to, Heero. Darrell is a kind and gentle man, but I can never love him. Every time he touches me I can only think of you. Every time I lay beside him, I pretend it is with you that I share my bed. I don't know if I can do this"

Her voice wavered, and he stepped up to her carefully, placing a hand on her wet cheek, "You are very strong."

She closed her eyes, "Only when I'm beside you."

He leaned closer, "Likewise."

And he indulged their mutual fantasy one last time, kissing her with his entire heart. Finally it ended and she looked up at him with her vibrant blue eyes.

"I thought I could escape this web, love"

He pressed his forehead against hers, brown hair mixing with blond, "It isn't our time yet. You have to survive, Relena. We have to wait a little longer."

She bit her lip, "You won't lose yourself, will you? You mustn't give up your artwork, or your strength. Don't rely on drugs-"

He hugged her tightly, breathing in the smell of her hair, and remembering the pains of the past, "Never"

There was a rustle at the far end of the corridor, and they pulled apart nervously.

He brushed her lips with his finger, a phantom kiss, and she reciprocated.

"Until later," Relena sighed, drinking in the sight of him.

He said nothing.

They parted ways.

A/N: Well, you ASKED for a third part. Second books are never supposed to have happy endings.


End file.
